By JAMES OMORO

ODM nominations in Ndhiwa were concluded amid claims of rigging.

The exercise, conducted through secret ballot, ended yesterday with some aspirants threatening to move to court to challenge Mr Augustine Netto’s victory.

Voters warned that if ODM does not address the anomalies, they would support a different party in the by-election.

Amid chants of “No fair nomination, TNA is the best option”, residents demonstrated in parts of the constituency to protest the anomalies in the nomination. Yesterday, aspirants who lost the race claimed ODM had denied them their democratic right by withholding their results.

 “We strongly doubt the result. How can a returning officer announce the winner alone as if he was the only one who participated in the primary? This is just one of the ways of perpetuating election malpractices,” an aspirant Monica Amolo said.

The Homa Bay County ODM treasurer claimed one of the aspirants’ sister was employed as a tallying clerk, a situation she said could have perpetuated rigging.

Amolo further claimed that some of the presiding officers had difficulties in reading hence doubted their performance.

imported

Mr David Ojwang’ said the presiding officers were imported from outside Homa Bay County, a situation he attributed to the late arrival of voting kits at all polling stations.

He complained the party elections board ignored the resolution of a Nairobi meeting where it was agreed that only the returning officer and his deputy were to come from outside Homa Bay County.

There was outcry after the name of Mr Jeremiah Owiti was found missing on ballot papers in more than 20 polling stations in his strongholds. 

“It is true that some people used the name of Mr Oyugi Oduru who resigned officially to say that I am the aspirant who had resigned,” Owiti said.

Declining to release the other aspirants’ results, the Returning Officer Elias Keton said his announcement of the winner was final.

“The announcement I have made is final and whoever wants to know more can see me later. I have invoked my powers to arrive at this conclusion after putting in place important considerations,” he said.

Keton concluded that Neto won the nomination after garnering 4,278 votes against 7,278 that were cast.

 The aspirants included Amolo, Ojwang, Owiti, Michael Agwanda, Kennedy Oduru, Martin Owino, David Ojowang, Robinson Onyando, and former MP Orwa Ojode’s widow, Mary, who put up a strong show in most of the polling stations.

Meanwhile, The National Alliance party (TNA) will nominate its candidate for the Kajiado North and Ndhiwa parliamentary by-elections today.

The battle for Kajiado North will be between Moses ole Sakuda and Francis Parsimei Gitau after Joseph Manje pulled out of the race in favour of Sakuda.  Sakuda was second after the late Prof George Saitoti in the 2007 election. Parsimei was third. Whoever wins in the TNA nominations will battle it out for the seat with Peter Mositet (ODM), Antony Keen (PNU), David Parseina (URP), and Ruth Enkeseni (Conservative Party of Kenya). Mositet was endorsed by former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga last Sunday.  TNA Secretary General Onyango Oloo told The Standard that the Ndhiwa race has attracted four candidates.

– Additional reports by Athman Amran and Kepher Otieno