Orange party to hold Kajiado seat primary

By  NATION REPORTER

What you need to know:

  • Among the candidates at the meeting in Capitol Hill, Nairobi, was Mr Memusi Kanchori, who ditched the Jubilee Alliance Party after losing its nomination to Mr Patrick ole Tutui.
  • Mr Tutui, Mr Memusi and Mr Nkeri come from the Matapato clan, seen as a major voting bloc in the constituency.

Cord leader Raila Odinga Tuesday met the five aspirants for the ODM ticket for Kajiado Central’s parliamentary seat ahead of the party’s primary Thursday.

Mr Odinga also met the National Elections Board and asked them to ensure the nominations are credible and acceptable.

Among the candidates at the meeting in Capitol Hill, Nairobi, was Mr Memusi Kanchori, who ditched the Jubilee Alliance Party after losing its nomination to Mr Patrick ole Tutui.

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Others were Mr Paul Kaika, Dr Naomi Kipury, Mr Simon ole Nkeri and Mr Olorasha Paita, who had joined the race much earlier.

Mr Memusi’s entry into the Orange nominations has increased the party’s chances in the only constituency that voted for an ODM lawmaker in Maasailand. He lost by a small margin to Mr Tutui in the Jubilee nominations last week.

MAJOR VOTING BLOCK

Mr Tutui, Mr Memusi and Mr Nkeri come from the Matapato clan, seen as a major voting bloc in the constituency.

Mr Nkeri garnered over 50,000 votes in the race for Kajiado’s senatorial seat in the last elections against the eventual winner, Mr Peter ole Mositet, of TNA.

The Cord leader said his party was keen to have transparent nominations in order to enhance ODM’s chances of defending the seat previously held by Mr Joseph Nkaissery, who is now the Interior Cabinet Secretary.

ODM secretary-general Ababu Namwamba announced the party nomination would be held in 50 of the 87 polling centres across the constituency. He said the party had hired enough polling clerks who were to be deployed to the polling centres last night.

The director of elections, Mr Junet Mohammed, said the party had put in place measures to deliver a credible nomination acceptable to all the aspirants.

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