How ODM’s Homa Bay nomination fell apart

A youth destroying ballot materials during the ODM nominations at Homa bay County Assembly Monday. (Photo: Collins Oduor/Standard)

The recent past returned to haunt the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Monday, as the party failed to nominate a candidate for the Homa Bay senatorial by-election.

Once again, an exercise involving delegates voting was abandoned in scenes echoing the infamous incident at the Kasarani Stadium in February, when hired goons dubbed the "men in black" forced the party to call off elections of officials.

Democracy seemed to take flight once more when youths posing as delegates disrupted the nomination and destroyed election material.

Although they claimed to be responding to concerns by delegates and aspirants that the exercise was already rigged to favour one of the candidates, those present said they were hired goons.

The delegates and aspirants had earlier expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which the nomination was being conducted, and when the chaos erupted, one of the gates of the Homa Bay County Assembly premises was broken as were several chairs.

The arrival of Ruaraka MP Tom Kajwang' seemed to have been used as a trigger for the mayhem. Mr Kajwang', who had accompanied his younger brother Moses Kajwang', who is also seeking the party's nomination, was ordered to leave the ground over allegations that his presence would compromise the vote's outcome.

Rough up

The youths confronted the Ruaraka MP asking him why he was there yet he is not an ODM delegate from the county. When officials in charge of the exercise insisted that the MP stay, the youth shouted: "We have realised there is no fairness in this election and we are declaring that no election will be conducted here today and everybody must go back to where they came from."

They then ran to the podium and kicked and threw around chairs, tables and election materials. Delegates claimed to know some of the goons, saying some were from Homa Bay, Migori and Kayole in Nairobi.

Tom Kajwang's bodyguard was forced to shoot three times in the air in order to disperse the rowdy youths who wanted to rough him up.

All the election officials, who included returning Officer Peter Odoyo, scampered for safety and nobody had an opportunity to address the public over the incident that appeared well planned. Odoyo, a former Nyakach MP, is a commissioner with ODM's national elections board, representing Nyanza region.

The aspirants then left accompanied by their security personnel. Former Rangwe MP Phillip Okundi who was contesting for the ODM ticket, condemned the incident and said a vote by party members was the best way of conducting the nomination rather than the delegate system.

"I cannot blame the party's elections board for what happened, but I want to say that the people should have been allowed to elect their senator," Okundi said.

Another candidate, George Mboya, blamed the chaos on an unnamed candidate who had sensed defeat. "Verification of delegates' details had already been done and we were to begin voting," Mboya said.

"The unfortunate part is that by the time we were going to the elections, we as candidates had not agreed on the exact list of delegates to be used in the exercise," said Dr Kenneth Kambona, who was also in the race.

Fred Rabongo, another aspirant, blamed Tom's bodyguard for causing the mayhem after he shot in the air. "Why should he shoot in the air when he is not even a police officer accredited to the region?" Rabongo asked.

Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo urged the elections board to urgently repeat the exercise so that a competent candidate is nominated.

Ms Odhiambo, who was one of the delegates, told the party's leadership to take action against the people who caused the mayhem.

"ODM should recognise the residents of Homa Bay and give us an opportunity to elect our leader," Millie added.

Karachuonyo MP James Rege who is also the branch secretary general blamed the party elections board for tampering with the list of delegates.

"I warned the returning officer against tampering with the voter registers but he didn't heed my advice," Rege said.

Reacting to the chaotic nominations, the party's high command led by secretary general Ababu Namwamba, chairman John Mbadi and director of elections Junet Mohammed regretted what happened during the delegates meeting.

Speaking to journalists in Kisumu, Namwamba described the fiasco as unacceptable, an insult to Homa Bay, ODM party leader Raila Odinga and the spirit of the late Senator Otieno Kajwang'.

The party put on notice all the aspirants who might have violated the code of conduct for elections, saying they would be barred from participating in the repeat nomination.

Hidden delegates

But last year, the party's nomination of candidates for the General Election was marred by violence and claims of favouritism and rigging.

Monday Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma said the party should have changed its constitution before choosing the delegates system of voting.

There were allegations of alteration of the delegates' register and bribery with some aspirants observing that some contenders had a hidden number of delegates in Tanzania.

Homa Bay Administration Police Commander Jebel Munene confirmed that three youths were arrested after the incident.

"We have taken three young men to the cells and they will soon be charged in court with causing chaos in the electoral process," Munene said adding that no one was injured.

Led by the branch vice chairman Ong'ondo Were, officials from Kendu Bay, Homa Bay Town and Oyugis accused some ODM elections board members of having doctored the list to favour a particular candidate.

He claimed that the party had inflated the list of delegates from the 406 by 100 more, some who are not even party members. He however, could not prove his claims.

"About 100 fake delegates from Rangwe and Kasipul Kabondo constituencies were sneaked in to vote for (Moses) Kajwang'. Can the ODM leadership deny that Homa Bay Speaker Samuel Ochillo who is in Ford Kenya and Prof Muga who is in Wiper were on the party's list of delegates who were supposed to vote today?" Were posed.

Former Rangwe MP Martin Ogindo, who ousted the late Kajwang' as Homa Bay ODM branch official, warned the party against giving the nomination certificate to any member without carrying out a proper nomination.

Kasipul politician and chairman of the Luo Dialogue Initiative, Odoyo Owidi, asked the party to stop forcing its preferred candidates on members.

Reporting by Protus Onyango, Dennis Onyango, Kevine Omollo and Rushdie Oudia