Nominated MP Ghati, Masara to fly ODM flag in August elections

Nominated MP Denitah Ghati will fly the ODM flag in the Migori Woman Representative race in the August election.

She vied for the seat in 2017 and lost the election.

Ms Ghati garnered 37,792 votes against Ms Fatuma Mohammed’s 23,552. Vote counting and results announcement for the ODM Woman Representative nominations at Migori Teachers Training College was disrupted after Ms Mohammed disputed the results.

Ms Mohammed’s attempts to disrupt the process were blocked by security personnel.

She said it was impossible to lose as she had led in almost all the polling centres contrary to the declared figures.

Ms Mohammed had stormed the tallying centre terming her rival as a weak opponent.

She accused the party of rigging her out yet she used her resources to campaign and promote ODM policies.

Ms Mohammed wants ODM leader Raila Odinga to intervene and ensure she is declared the winner.

However, ODM chairman Philip Makabongo refuted the rigging claims.

“The results were electronic and there was no room for rigging. It was free and fair,” Mr Makabongo said.

Incumbent Woman Representative Pamela Odhiambo will now go for the governor seat whose ODM ticket has been handed over to Senator Ochillo Ayacko.

In the woman representative race, Josephine Sirega, a former Ramogi FM presenter, stepped down hours ahead of the primaries, accusing the party of holding predetermined nominations. She will vie as an independent in the August election.

At the same time, Suna West MP Peter Masara who was elected as an independent candidate in 2017 garnered 8,799 votes in the race for an ODM ticket.

Mr Masara beat his main rival Joseph Ndiege with 128 votes.

Mr Ndiege bagged 8,671 votes in the Monday nominations preceded by chaos and arrests following clashes among supporters.

ODM issued direct tickets to Mr Ayacko for the Migori governor race, Eddy Oketch for the Senate seat, and MPs Junet Mohamed (Suna East), Paul Abuor (Rongo), Walter Owino (Awendo), Mark Nyamita (Uriri) and Tom Odege (Nyatike).

ODM resorted to universal suffrage in Suna West after an opinion poll showed Mr Masara and Mr Ndiege were only separated by a seven per cent gap.