I wiped Baba’s tears in 2007 — Former Raila's aide Caroli Omondi

Former Raila Odinga’s aide, Caroli Omondi recently lashed out at the Nasa luminary for dismissing independent candidates and advocating for “six-piece” voting in Luo Nyanza.

Omondi, who was campaigning for his younger brother Peter Ochola in Suba South recalled how Raila cried for ostensibly being rigged out during the 2007 Presidential elections.

“I wiped his tears and I placed him on a seat and sympathised with him in 2007, but here he is treating us like we do not matter after the shambolic party primaries,” said Omondi, who was Raila’s Chief of Staff during the nusu makete government that followed the post poll skirmishes in 2007.

Caroli, who owns the building, Orange House, in Nairobi’s Kilimani Area, said unlike his former boss, he has a good heart and even after what ODM did to him during the nominations, he didn’t chase them (party) out of his house.

“All of you know that I own the Orange House building, and that is where the plan to rig me out was hatched, but I haven’t complained. Raila must give us a break and let voters decide who their leaders will be,” Caroli said amid cheers from the crowd that chanted Chuma! Chuma! his nickname.

Omondi said they are ready to help the NASA leader comb the region to woo voters to back his candidature come August 8, but asked him not to force rigged candidates down the throats of the electorate in Luo Nyanza.

“Every goat and fowl in the village knows that Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti and John Mbadi lost the nominations, yet Raila has the audacity to tell us to vote for them. We have said no,” he said.

“We cannot be told to adopt six-piece voting yet our candidates were rigged out. That will not work and Raila should know that,” he said.

Ochola urged Suba South voters to reject Mbadi because he is not the right man to lead them. Ochola announced his candidature after Caroli failed to secure an independent ticket due to a protracted court case between him and Mbadi over the Orange nominations.

He urged Raila not to waste time campaigning for Mbadi and instead focus his energy on his presidential vote.