Big names top list of NASA and Jubilee House nominees

KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion

Cronies, loyalists, losers in party primary and political honchos dominate the list of party nominees to Parliament.

Both President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga’s nomination lists presented to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) indicate which nominees should get preference during the selection of nominated MPs and Senators.

In the Senate, Uhuru and Deputy President William Ruto’s Jubilee Party settled on Nairobi Woman Representative loser Millicent Omanga as number one choice for the women category.

Another loser Isaac Mwaura is Jubilee’s first pick for “persons with disability” nominee for Senate.

Crowning Jubilee’s first three picks for the Senate is Victor Prengei in the youth category. The three will without doubt be members of the second Senate after the August 8 General Election.

Automatic pick

The next automatic pick for Jubilee’s Senate nominees is Uhuru’s first cousin Beth Mugo, who is currently nominated for the same position by the President’s former party, The National Alliance (TNA). Mugo will automatically qualify if Jubilee gets more than four nomination slots.

Article 97 (c) of the Constitution requires political parties to nominate 12 members according to their proportion of members of the National Assembly to represent special interests including the youth, persons with disabilities and workers.

Similarly, article 98 of the Constitution requires political parties to nominate 16 women according to the proportion of members of the Senate elected and two other nominees being one man and one woman, representing the youth, one man and one woman representing persons with disabilities. Both lists will apply according to the priority set out by political parties. This means that the higher a candidate is on the lists of their respective political parties, the higher their chances of being nominated. Number one nominee is the highest priority going down in that order.

The next pick for Jubilee is Joyce Amasong representing persons with disability, Peris Wambui representing the youth, Alice Chepkorir, Winifred Guchu, Caroline Chilango, Mary Seneta, Falhada Iman, Naomi Waqo, Caroline Daudi, Veronica Maina, Francisca Kamuren, Beatrice Gambo, Mary Adhiambo, Judith Kerubo, Hadija Abakiri and Janet Muli in that order.

Guchu is the executive director at Jubilee headquarters, a former electoral commissioner and immediate former commissioner at the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). Daudi sits in Jubilee’s National Elections Board while Veronica Maina is Jubilee Vice Chairman.

ODM first Senate pick in the women category is party Secretary General Agnes Zani while Gertrude Musuruve tops the two-person list of persons living with disabilities alongside Harold Kipchumba. ODM’s choice pick for youth nominees are Mercy Chebeni and Abdullahi Samatar in that order.

Besides Zani, ODM’s list for women Senate nominees is littered with ODM stalwarts. After Zani is ODM chair of National Elections Board Judith Pareno, Nairobi Woman Representative loser Beatrice Kwamboka Makori, Masitsa Ndombi, outgoing Kisumu Woman Representative Rose Nyamunga, ODM Women Congress chair Beth Syengo, Eunice Marima, former IEBC staffer Himida Kibwana and former minister JM Kariuki’s daughter Rosemary Kariuki.

Others smelling an ODM nomination from a distant are tenth-placed Fatuma Jehow and editor Dorcas Muga-Odumbe, Jane Naini, Beatrice Mochama, Nora Owino, Rachel Amollo and Patricia Akunda.

In the National Assembly 12 person list, Jubilee Party favourites take the first slots.

David ole Sankok leads the pack followed by Halima Mucheke, Gedion Keter, Jubilee talk-show mouthpiece Jennifer Shamalla, city politics veteran Maina Kamanda, his colleague in the 11th Parliament Cecily Mbarire, Rev Jackson Kosgey and party elections official Faith Waigwa in that order.

Listed for the National Assembly nomination ticket from position nine are Aden Noor, Sandra Ochallo, Samwel Mburu and Agnes Kariuki.

On the ODM side, party stalwart Prof Jacqueline Oduol takes number one slot followed by Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion, Khadija Maalim Hussein, John Lutta, Denita Ghatti, John Ketora, Asha Abdi, Idris Abdirahman, Karen Olwenyi, Vincent Oduor, Seth Mutua and Boaz Aruku.

Vetting and approval

In the National Assembly, Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Democratic Party has settled on Sammy Seroney as its first choice. He is followed by Istarlin Omar Boray, David Mutambuki, Feisal Abdulrahman, Dee Kivuva, Justus Wambutura, David Ndwiga, Hassan Dahye, Justus Obara, Salim Ali Sheikh, Charles Matundura and Grace Mutua in that order.
Musalia Mudavadi’s Amani National Congress’s (ANC) first pick for National Assembly is party official Godfrey Osotsi. Same case with Governor Peter Munya’s Party of National Unity (PNU) which has picked John Anunda.

In the Senate, the same pattern is repeated with ANC picking on party loyalist Petronila Were Lokorio as its first pick and PNU picking Prisca Mwita. For Governor Alfred Mutua’s Maendeleo Chap Chap, its first choice for National Assembly nominee is his Chief of Staff Mwengi Mutuse and the second is Lilian Wanjiku followed by among others Salome Wairimu and Francis Mwaka.

Moses Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya is seeking to nominate Eunice Lumallas, Eunice Litunya and Eunice Wamalwa to the Senate, Stephen Namusyule, Grace Katasi and June Mabonga to the National Assembly.

ODM, meanwhile, described as illegitimate a list going round in social media.

Party Secretary General Senator Agnes Zani (nominated) said the list would only be made public after it has been vetted and approved by the IEBC. Jubilee Party also disowned listed being circulated.

Yesterday, IEBC Communications Manager Andrew Limo confirmed that they had received the list of all political parties and were  scrutinising it.

“We are yet to finalise with the list. We have to confirm if the nominations followed the law and regulations. It will take a fortnight to complete before we gazette the numbers,” affirmed Limo.

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