ODM strives to shed off violence tag

Chaotic Scenes during the ODM elections held at Safaricom Indoor arena Kasarani. An ODM supporter carries damaged votting ballot during the ODM elections at kasarani on 28-2-2014 [PHOTO/BEVERLYNE MUSILI

The past two months have cast a dark shadow over the ability of the country’s largest political party by representation, to hold credible and peaceful polls. In its attempt to organise and execute grassroots elections, the Orange Democratic Party has ended up on many occasions, with egg on its face. And the elections within the party whose leader Raila Odinga has for decades been the poster boy for democracy and free will have on more than one occasion led to deaths.

Elections in Nyanza, Kwale, Nyamira, Nakuru, Kisii and even Nairobi all have the common thread of violence running through them eventually resulting in the much-anticipated polls being called off.

Last year, the infamous Men in Black, attacked delegates at Kasarani Stadium and disrupted the National Delegates Conference (NDC), which was postponed indefinitely and has not been held to date.

Despite promises from party officials including, party leader Raila that those behind the chaos and their sponsors would be held to account and punished, nothing has been done. Last week, chaos was again the order of the day in Nyamira, where the elections board chairman was arrested after he protested against an alleged fake list of delegates. Despite the chaos and the bloodshed, party diehards see nothing wrong and insist the current goings on will not affect the party’s popularity in any way, plus, stalwarts insist, ODM is developing mechanisms of dealing with the violence that has now become synonymous with party polls.

“The election exercise is the sole mandate of the National Elections Board (NEB) under the direction of the National Executive Committee,” says ODMs Political Affairs Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, pointing to yet another grey area within the party on the role that its national office ought to play in the organisation and running of grassroot polls.

Unlike Wandayi, branch officials argue that it is their mandate to hold elections, away and independent from the national office.

“Branch officials will never be in charge of party primaries,” Wandayi says, arguing that local officials have often been misguided in believing that their rank within the branch party hierarchy somehow enables them influence poll outcomes.

But, can the party officials reach a consensus that will enable smooth and independent primaries without the accompanying violence?

For instance, the Nyamira elections were so chaotic that the Administration Police Commandant Saidi Ndiema was reportedly roughed up by the rowdy mob as riot police lobbed teargas canisters to disperse them.

However, through the cloud of constant teargas and the persistent presence of seemingly angry party members, it cannot be taken away from ODM that it remains the only major political party in the country to have held or attempted to hold grass root elections.

“ODM is the only party conducting primaries and that in itself should show how organised and serious the party is when it comes to democracy,” said Mbadi.

But doesn’t it becomes an exercise in futility when the said primaries go up in smoke, leaving the party in a far worse state than before? For instance, the differences that emerged among supporters after the Homa Bay and Migori polls resulted in more divisions.

Mbadi, like many of his party colleagues, admits there exist ‘some issues in some areas’ but at the same time tries to distant the party polls from some the ensuing chaos. According to Mbadi, the Migori violence was not linked to the elections. Area party leaders have more than once confirmed that the two events were indeed linked.

In other instances, evidence linking the polls to chaos in ODM strongholds is irrefutable. Homa Bay is one of such, where Mbadi says the violence was orchestrated by one of the candidates who had sensed defeat.

He warned that the party was quietly studying and keeping records of candidates’ behaviour during primaries and that they stand being barred from any future elections following their misconduct.

“The party will be vetting its candidates ahead of the 2017 General Election and anyone known to be violent or has a bad record will be barred from participating in any party primaries,” said Mbadi, who stated that the party is out to cleanse itself.

This cleansing, according to the party, includes adopting amendments to the current election and nomination rules.

Mbadi says candidates from counties that have little presence will be given a direct nomination to contest but warned that in the event there are more than two candidates, a system will be used to gauge their popularity.

“We do not want to subject candidates from areas we have little chances of winning to a stiff nomination process,” said Mbadi.

When all is said and done, ODM has always seemed to be ahead of the curve, at least on paper. Practically though, translating its party policies from the bureaucracy of documents with party letter heads to workable solutions for its members has posed a challenge. A fact that continues to push political neutrals and sympathetic voices away from its cause.