Migori Governor Okoth Obado’s new ODM office stirs debate

Migori Governor Okoth Obado has built an ODM county office in Migori town, but the party leadership has rejected it, saying they were not involved.

The office dubbed Orange House 044 is yet to be opened officially, but County ODM chairman Philip Makabong'o said they want nothing to do with it.

Makabong'o said they only have one county office located in Migori Stadium and if the governor intend to donate an office to the party he should have consulted them first.

"Even Orange House is not aware of such a structure and there is protocol to be observed. If the county leadership is not aware that the governor had intentions of building an office for ODM, then we cannot recognise it," he told The Standard on Sunday.

He said ODM is one and they do not have anything like ODM 044, adding that they could take the persons involved to court for being imposters.

"In the ODM constitution, there is no position like patron. Even Raila Odinga is the party leader and not the patron," he said. Obado is purportedly the ODM Migori County patron.

Makabong'o said the governor cannot build an ODM office without the consent of the party leadership.

Obado's political advisor Dennis Orero said, however, he did not recognise Makabong'o as "anything in ODM".

"Involve him as who? Who elected him and on what capacity?" posed Orero.

He said the governor is out to show his seriousness in the party and to consolidate ODM votes not only for his re-election, but also for Raila. Obado was elected on a People's Democratic Party (PDP) ticket in 2013 after defecting from ODM over alleged unfair nominations.

He recently returned to the Orange party and is planning to seek re-election on an ODM ticket next year.

"Migori has a potential of over 600,000 votes for ODM, but last time only over 200,000 people voted. So we want to work alongside the party to harness the votes, hence the new office," Orero said.

He said the office will act as a central point where they can collect data and carry out other activities to benefit the party and people.

Orero declined to comment on how much the building cost, amid criticism that it was a waste of taxpayers' money.

Nyatike MP Omondi Anyanga said the governor does not understand the structures and ideologies of ODM, adding that he has missed the point.

"If Obado is in ODM, then he needs to know how the party operates. First there is no position like patron and secondly, there is only one Orange House in Kenya, which is in Nairobi," Anyanga said.

He said building the office was a malicious move that is "not healthy" for Migori politics and that the governor was purporting to also be a leader in ODM.

It had been touted that Obado's greatest impediment to winning a second term was his shaky relationship with ODM, something that informed his defection back to the party. Obado has since been working tirelessly to show commitment to ODM.