Why ODM wants IEBC to run its primaries

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) now plans to engage the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to conduct its nominations to ensure the exercise is free and fair.

The party also wants the IEBC to fund the party primaries.

ODM Chairman John Mbadi yesterday said this will provide legitimate ground for the electorate to freely elect competent candidates of their choice to avoid “political gambling” with parties that would promote mass defections.

“We want to ensure that the party primaries, which have for many years been blamed as shambolic, are rationalised effectively to the chagrin of the party critics. We want the popular sovereignty of the people to prevail,” he said.

It was Deputy President William Ruto who sparked the debate when he told the Opposition to support plans to have the IEBC conduct nominations for various parties if they are committed to free and fair elections.

But the proposals were dismissed by some Opposition leaders, with Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and his Amani National Congress (ANC) counterpart Musalia Mudavadi arguing that the IEBC’s involvement in party nominations would sway the results and dent its image.

Ruto, however, wondered how the Opposition could trust the electoral agency to oversee the next elections if it does not believe that it can carry out party nominations.

Mbadi said they had already shared the idea with ODM leader Raila Odinga that where the party is strong, they should use universal suffrage to conduct nominations to give aspirants confidence.

“We have said before that where we are weak, we will give direct nomination tickets, especially in Jubilee strongholds,” Mbadi said.

The Suba MP said they will forward a proposal to the IEBC to fund the nominations and the party will only supplement the commission’s budget where necessary. “We want this idea of blaming us all the time to stop,” he said.

But political scientist Dr Adams Oloo of the University of Nairobi said it was wrong for the Treasury to fund IEBC to conduct party nominations because it will be a breach of the Political Parties Act.

Wrong timing

He says aspirants who feared facing off at the primaries should take advantage of the constitution, which provides room for aspirants to contest as independent candidates.

“It really doesn’t make sense that we use the tax payers’ money again to conduct party nominations,” Oloo told The Standard on Saturday.

He said the candidates should have the courage and vie as independent if they are afraid of facing opponents, rather than toy with the idea of party hopping after losing in the primaries. Oloo lauded the passing of the Bill outlawing party hopping, saying it would tame “mischievous and notorious MPs”.

But Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo scoffed at the electoral reforms Bill, saying its timing was wrong and only favoured Jubilee opponents.

“For me nothing is enticing in the whole issue. I’m only concerned about pending IEBC reforms and time fizzling out,” said Midiwo.

With only 11 months to the next General Election, most political parties’ headache has now shifted to nominations, which will either spell doom or success for them as the 2017 races take shape.