ODM’s move to hand Karan direct ticket triggers storm

Irshad Sumra (left) and Christopher Karan congratulate each other at Orange house, in Nairobi, on January 30, 2019 after ODM party gave them direct tickets to contest the Embakasi South and Ugenya seats respectively. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • ODM has in the past carried out shambolic nominations with the scramble for tickets, leaving the party and its supporters divided.

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party may have to quell another fire arising from its decision to hand a direct ticket to one of the candidates in the forthcoming Ugenya by-election.

The January 24 move by businessman Daniel Juma Omondi to quit ODM and take on Mr Christopher Karan in the April 5 mini-poll is set to create a political storm in the constituency.

“After consultation with my supporters in Ugenya who insisted that I must be on the ballot come rain come sunshine, I have opted to quit my beloved ODM to enable me seek alternative avenues of vying for the Ugenya parliamentary seat.

"My competitor who was favoured by the party leadership may have the ODM party ticket, but I have the people behind me. I will soon be unveiling the party whose ticket I will use to contest in the elections,” Mr Juma said.

DISGRUNTLED

He joins the growing list of aspirants who have been disillusioned by the party’s current way of picking candidates.

In July last year, former minister Mr Ochillo Ayacko was given a direct ticket to contest the Migori senatorial seat.

However, this did not go down well with Mr Eddy Oketch who quit the party to contest on a Federal Party of Kenya ticket.

Although he lost in the election, he gave Mr Ayacko a run for his money. He garnered 62,209 votes against Mr Ayacko’s 86,966.

Analysts say the 24,757 votes gap is a clear indication that some ODM members voted in protest over the party’s decision to give Mr Ayacko a direct ticket. A similar scenario is likely to play out in the Ugenya by-election.

POLITICS

ODM has in the past carried out shambolic nominations with the scramble for tickets, leaving the party and its supporters divided.

Mr Juma says the party’s move will come to haunt it in the forthcoming poll.

“Ugenya is one of the few constituencies in Nyanza that appreciates and tolerates Kenya’s spirit of multiparty democracy. The people of Ugenya usually tend to elect personalities rather than parties,” Mr Juma said.

He will be battling with Mr Karan and former Ugenya MP David Ochieng of Movement for Democracy and Growth.