By Robert Wanyonyi and Paul Gitau
ODM lost the Bungoma mayoral seat to Ford-Kenya in a hotly contested election.
Sio Ward Councillor Barasa Ndinga defeated ODM’s out-going mayor Majimbo Okumu by five votes to three.
ODM, however, retained the deputy mayor’s position, which incumbent Edith Shikandi got unopposed. The party also took the chairmanship of the Finance; Town Planning, Public Health and Environment committees while PNU took only two committees — Education and Audit.
Earlier, there was tension as residents had sought a court order from the Bungoma High Court barring nominated Councillor Lucas Watta from taking part in the election, but Town Clerk William Chepkwony disregarded the order.
Exact date not fixed
In Kakamega, Mayor Joseph Serenge said elections would be held next week though the exact date was not yet fixed.
Serenge is set to face the former town Mayor Robert Ponyochi Konyobo in the elections.
Konyobo won Maraba Ward seat on a Ford-Kenya ticket after a by-election, last year.
"I am confident I am going to retain the seat because I have adequate support from councillors," said Serenge, who is also the national vice-chairman of the Association of Local Government Authorities f Kenya.
In Malava, New Ford-Kenya under chairmanship of area MP and Minister for Housing Soita Shitanda is out to wrestle the seat from ODM’s Brison Sikolia.
Malava ODM chairman Msafini Nambwa and Sikolia have since challenged Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi to unite the councillors for the sake of reclaiming the seat. Mudavadi is also the deputy ODM party leader.
Clerk evicted
In Malindi, workers barred Town Clerk Peter Kingoina from entering his office.
The workers who had staged a sit-in at the council were protesting at late payment of their salaries and non-payment of allowances and other dues.
Chanting anti-Kingoina slogans, the workers evicted the clerk from the council before he was whisked away by Administration Police officers for safety.
The workers called for his immediate transfer, claiming he was unfit to work at the council.
Addressing the Press later Kingoina said the act came as a shock to him.
"If the workers are aggrieved there are channels they should follow to have complains addressed instead of forcefully evicting someone from office," he said.
