Magerer Lang’at roughed up as chaos rocks ODM

Differences over the use of political party funds and a push by youthful MPs for a stake in the ODM leadership on Thursday led to the assault against the party’s Executive Director, Mr Magerer Lang’at.

Three people attacked the official, whom they ejected from the Cord Parliamentary Group meeting in full view of the coalition leadership.

The incident is bound to rekindle fissures that have been simmering since the party’s abortive polls earlier this year.

The two men and a woman said to be MCAs in Nairobi pulled Mr Lang’at from the high table and led him away with kicks and blows before more people joined in the assault.

They accused him of being a Jubilee mole and of supporting a push by younger MPs to take over some positions in the ODM party.

The attack came just a day after Mr Odinga met ODM ward representatives from Nairobi County to rally their support for the Okoa Kenya referendum drive.

Sources familiar with the goings-on in ODM said Mr Lang’at has been supporting a group pushing for the use of the Sh87.4 million from the political parties fund to strengthen the party by recruiting members and strengthening branches.

Another group wants the money used in the Okoa Kenya campaigns to change the Constitution.

DELEGATES LIST

Another divisive issue has been the campaign by some MPs for the party to address causes of the aborted elections held at the Safaricom Stadium in Kasarani, Nairobi, in April.

Mr Lang’at’s supporters have said since he is the custodian of the delegates list, those who want the status quo maintained want him out before the elections.

ODM Secretary-General Anyang’ Nyong’o blamed hooligans for the attack. He said the party would meet soon to discuss the matter.

ODM majority leader Elias Otieno allegedly led the group that attacked Mr Lang’at.

Party youth activists milling around also took part in the assault. The mob had earlier deflated his car tyres.

They accused him of claiming “the party is dead” and that Mr Odinga is old and should resign.

Police officers, who were outside the Orange House in Nairobi’s Kilimani area, whisked Mr Lang’at to safety, saving him from the attackers’ wrath.

Trouble started when the MCAs forced themselves into a tent where Mr Odinga was chairing the Cord Parliamentary Group meeting.

After a while, the county leaders stormed out of the meeting and started demanding that Mr Lang’at be ejected on claims that he was a traitor.

The move was reminiscent of the “Men in Black” incident in April when a group of young men disrupted the party’s election by causing chaos inside the Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi just before the elections started.

THEY WILL KILL HIM

Mr Odinga, Wiper Democratic Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, senators and MPs watched helplessly as the rowdy group frogmarched Mr Lang’at from the tent of meeting.

“They will kill him, they will kill him, go rescue him, it’s an order!” shouted Mr Odinga while ordering one of his security men to swing into action. The officer did not act.

Before the mob could hurt Mr Lang’at further, a police car, which was on patrol, rescued him and took him away.

“He said ODM party is dead and that the party leader should resign; why then did he attend a meeting of a dead party?” the Nairobi Assembly Majority Leader Elias Otieno asked soon after the drama was over.

“That is why as MCAs we have taken that action because our parliamentarians are asleep.”

But Prof Nyong’o condemned the act, which he called “hooliganism”.

He said the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) would meet next Tuesday to discuss what actions to take against the “hooligans”.

“We have under the chairmanship of our party leader condemned the happening thoroughly and denounce it,” he said, but did not explain how the MCAs were allowed to enter the compound and yet they had not been invited.

While reading the PG’s resolution, Prof Nyong’o warned that errant party members would be dealt with.

DIVERGENT VIEWS

“Coalition MPs who have technically decamped to serve personal interests in Parliament in contradiction to the role of Cord as the opposition will be de-whipped accordingly,” he said.

Kitutu Chache South MP Richard Onyonka told the Nation the incident “is a continuation of the ‘Men in Black’ saga’ and that it demonstrated ODM was no longer allowing divergent views.