ODM officials flee as aspirants await certificates

By Geoffrey Mosoku

NAIROBI, KENYA: The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) on Sunday continued keeping hundreds of nominees waiting for the certificates.

Tension continued growing across the party strongholds even as anxious aspirants thronged the party headquarters to demand for their certificates.

For the third day in a row, the angry aspirants kept vigil at Orange House, which had been deserted by party officials who had fled earlier.

The aspirants with their supporters threatened to set the party headquarters ablaze after reports emerged that some of their colleagues may have been issued with the papers.

And moments later, the protestors whose patience seems to have run out uprooted the ODM signpost and lit bonfires while blocking the Menelik Road in Kilimani.

Among those at Orange House was Elisha Ochieng’ who claimed victory in the Gem constituency but said there were plans to award the looser, Jakoyo Midiwo, the nomination.

“The people of Gem had whipped the Chief Whip but it seem ODM wants to give Jakoyo the certificate,” Ochieng’ said.

The delay, according to the Aspirant had caused tension in Siaya where his supporters were staging protests.

“The people have spoken and their will must be respected,” he said at the Serena hotel where he had been told NEB chairman Frankilin Bett was.

Ochieng said that he had been frustrated looking for the certificate after he trounced Midiwo by over 5,000 votes.

“We have been moved from office to office but nothing is forthcoming, they have now told us that the papers have been sent to Siaya which we highly doubt,” he added.

Party failure

Former ODM Director of Communications Ahmed Hash also left Orange house an angry man and convened a press conference at Nairobi West to express his dismay at what he termed as shenaniganism in the party headquarters. 

“We are outraged and appalled by the way our party has conducted the nominations. Our team won in Langata/Karen and we must be given our certificate,” Hash said.

The aspirant said ODM had failed from day one of conducting the exercise and warned party chiefs to come out of hotel rooms and face the people.

“What we are opposed to is the pathetic failure by the party in allowing a free and fair process. Let the secretariat come out of their hiding in hotel rooms and meet the people to grant them their wishes,” Hash added.

Former Standard Journalist Beuttah Omanga was among those camping at Orange House after he clinched Bonyamatuta ward county representative unopposed in the ODM nominations.