Crossed fingers as big names await their fate
Kisumu Senator Professor Anyang Nyong'o (left) and Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma count money at a fund raiser in the county on September 4, 2016. The winner of the ODM governorship primary in the county is yet to be determined. PHOTO | TONNY OMONDI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Jubilee was ordered not to issue nomination certificates pending tomorrow’s hearing of a dispute pitting Mr Irungu against runner-up Nderitu Mureithi.
The number of disputes arising from the recent party nominations reached 70 yesterday with new petitioners mainly from the Jubilee Party strongholds.
Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu, who claimed he was “being robbed of his victory”, was among aspirants who rushed to beat the May 10 deadline of claims, now being handled by two tribunals.
Big names whose nomination awaits determination include the Kisumu ODM governorship nominee, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, ODM governors Cyprian Awiti (Homa Bay) and John Mruttu (Taita-Taveta) and Machakos gubernatorial pick Wavinya Ndeti (Wiper).
RESOLVE DISPUTE
The nomination for the Suba South (previously Suba) Constituency seat of ODM national chairman and incumbent Member of Parliament John Mbadi was challenged by former Prime Minister’s chief of staff Caroli Omondi.
However, an appeal against Mr Patrick Opiyo’s Amani National Congress (ANC) ticket for the Suba East (previously Mbita) parliamentary seat filed by Mr Tom Hillary was struck out.
Jubilee was ordered not to issue nomination certificates pending tomorrow’s hearing of a dispute pitting Mr Irungu against runner-up Nderitu Mureithi.
“Mr Irungu polled 40,000, excluding the votes from Laikipia North Constituency, while his opponent Mr Nderitu had 30,000 votes but he is about to be issued with a certificate,” lawyer Paul Amunga told the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal presided over by Senior Counsel Kyalo Mbobu.
REPEAT POLLS
Meanwhile, High Court judge Richard Mwongo will today rule whether there will be repeat primaries for the Party of National Unity (PNU) in Embu County, where there were “no elections held”.
Lawyer Guatai Mwenda told the judge: “Candidates, among them a former PS Cyrus Njiru, were denied open victory as results were announced three days before the nomination exercise.”
PNU, led by the Council of Governors chairman, Meru Governor Peter Munya, has challenged the tribunal’s order as all the certificates were cancelled.
In the Jubilee cases, Mr Kyalo, sitting with tribunal members James Atemi and Hassan Abdi, ordered a repeat poll for Munyaka Primary School polling centre in Ainabkoi Constituency, where incumbent Samuel Chepkonga lost to Mr William Chepkut by a margin of 129 votes, within 48 hours as ordered by Jubilee’s national appeals board.
MUTUA'S CASE
Ms Ndeti’s rival, Machakos Deputy Governor Bernard Kiala, demanded through lawyers Omwanza Ombati and Sharon Mbithe fresh polls to pick Governor Dr Alfred Mutua’s Wiper rival.
Also awaiting to know his fate is former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) president Eric Mutua who has challenged the handpicking by Wiper of former Public Works permanent secretary, Dr Gideon Mutemi Mulyungi, for Mwingi Central parliamentary seat.
The tribunal is also to rule on the Kanu fiasco in Fafi Constituency, where Mr Salah Yakub Farah says the party failed to carry out primaries due to infighting.
He urged Mr Mbobu to order Kanu to give him the nomination certificate.
