Revealed: Who is who in ODM election line-up

By GEOFFREY MOSOKU and JAMES MBAKA

NAIROBI, KENYA: The battle for the ODM leadership is shaping up, as candidates rushed to beat the deadline for submission of applications to contest various seats in next month’s crucial polls.

As the deadline expired at 6pm Monday evening, dozens of candidates had filed their nomination papers to participate in the February 28 polls for the country’s single largest political party.

And party leader Raila Odinga harshly rebuked a section of youthful MPs from Luo Nyanza over their demands for a lion’s share of the 24 seats up for grabs.

Raila, who was meeting the ODM National Elections Board (Neb) chaired by Judith Parleno, snubbed some Luo Nyanza MPs who had camped at Orange House hoping for an audience with him.

The former Prime Minister was overheard dismissing one of the MPs who had wanted to confront him, saying ODM is a national party and the election outcome should reflect a national image.

The board will today tour the venue of the National Delegates Conference (NDC), Safaricom Kasarani Stadium, to assess preparations.

Raila, the de-facto party leader, faces a feeble challenge for the position, although pundits see this as a ploy to demonstrate internal party democracy.

He will battle it out with two other candidates as he seeks to retain his position of ODM party leader.

Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati and another party member, David Songok Lang’at, are vying for the party leader position.

NOMINATION PAPERS

The two returned their nomination papers ahead of Monday’s deadline to become eligible for the February 28 to March 1 party polls.

The race for deputy party leader was reduced to a contest between two governors as only Mombasa’s Ali Hassan Joho and his Kakamega counterpart, Wycliffe Oparanya, had returned their nomination papers.

By Monday evening, although the secretary general’s seat had attracted 10 candidates, only three – nominated senators Agnes Zani and Elizabeth Ongoro, and Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba – had submitted their nomination forms.

Two others, youthful MPs Ken Obura and John Mbadi, were yet to return their papers after picking them earlier in the day.

Larry Gumbe, Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi and Simon Lilan are eyeing the deputy secretary general’s slot.

For the chairman’s seat, Turkana Governor Josephat Nanok is pitted against MPs Paul Otuoma (Funyula), Manson Nyamweya (South Mugirango) and Mpuri Aburi (Tigania East) in the race to replace former minister Henry Kosgey who has not shown interest in defending the seat he has held since 2007.

Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero will fight it out with senators Otieno Kajwang’ (Homa Bay), Janet Ong’era (nominated) and Eldas MP Adan Keynan for the position of vice chairman.

MPs Simon Ogari (Bomachoge Chache) and Timothy Bosire (Kitutu Masaba) and party member Ibrahim Mohamed are gunning for the treasurer’s slot.

Kakamega Woman Representative Rachael Ameso and delegates Steve Ringera and Rahab Robi are seeking the deputy treasurer’s post.

Former Standard Group journalists Beauttah Omanga (Nyamira County majority leader) and Denittah Ghati (Migori Woman Rep) will be competing for secretary for information while nominated MP Zulekha Hassan wants to be secretary for special programmes, security and social welfare.

Nairobi political protagonists George Aladwa and Reuben Ndolo will once again renew their rivalry when they square it out for the position of organising secretary.

Others in the race for the post are MPs Abdikadir Aden (Mbalambala), Irshad Sumra (Embakasi South MP) and Gitonga Wathanga.

Even as candidates dashed to seek clearance from the party, political intrigues surrounding the contest for the leadership of the party continued to play out.

EIGHT CONSTITUENCIES

Forty-four Nairobi members of the county assembly and ODM chairpersons from the eight constituencies in Nairobi vowed to ensure that the secretary general’s position is reserved for Nairobi.

Speaking at Orange House after presenting her nomination papers, Ongoro said the secretary general’s post should be reserved for Nairobi County because of the city’s centrality to enable easy co-ordination of party affairs.

“Nairobi is making a statement that it will go for nothing less than the secretary general’s position because this is the bedrock of the country’s politics,” said Ongoro.

Ongoro accused some aspirants of bragging about having been endorsed by Raila, saying “no one should use the honourable Raila’s name to advance political interests”.

A section of MPs from Luo Nyanza have been holding night meetings to lobby the support of the de-facto party leader to have the secretary general’s position reserved for the region after the incumbent, Anyang’ Nyong’o, quit the race.

On Monday Wandayi accused the so-called youthful Luo ODM MPs of becoming a disgrace and a liability to the party.

“Indeed, they are projecting an image of people hell-bent on destroying the party from within through comments that can only succeed in portraying ODM as a regional party,” he said.

However, ensuring balance across regions and gender, ensuring youth representation and injecting fresh blood at the top remains a nightmarish affair.

Lobbying among aspirants has intensified, with the party struggling to tame internal rifts.

The bickering is further fuelled by political rivalry pitting Raila’s loyalists and a breakaway faction pushing for a change of guard at the helm of the leadership of the Luo community.