ODM upbeat as Kisii faces realignments amid Jubilee forays

Kisii Senator Chris Obure addresses a gathering at Otamba Girls play ground in Nyaribari Chache on 8.7.2016. Obure led other political leaders in announcing the initiative to hold the community’s unity talks and to form a political party ahead of 2017 polls. (Photo Eric Abuga/Standard)

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s ODM party is keeping a keen eye on the fragile Abagusii politics as it tries to ward off Jubilee’s advances in the region a head of the General Election.

Raila has been keen to retain his grip on the region where he upstaged President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013.

Since 2014, Jubilee has been dangling goodies to the community in a desperate bid to tilt the political landscape.

Recently, there were chaos at the ODM branch offices in Kisii after some supporters reportedly ousted officials accused of warming up to Jubilee.

Party chairma John Mbadi visited Kisii to restore calm, event at it emerged factions had taken over the brach. One groups supports incumbent chairman Chris Obure while the other is allied to branch secretary Governor James Ongwae.

“The party is aware some members took over positions when it emerged the incumbents were wavering. If indeed there are officials who are not ready to work for the party then be assured we will remove them but before we do that, lets sit down and talk,” said Mbadi.

A group of party officials led by Obure and Deputy Governor Joash Maangi who have been leading delegations to State House have denied planning to ditch the Orange party. They claim their trip was to do with development and not politics.

The festering internal difference in the most popular party in Gusii region has led to heated political debate among supporter, with some questioning the commitment of some officials. ODM enjoys massive support from youths who have maintained their support since the 2007 elections.

Insiders say with or without some of the current elected ODM leaders, the party will still clinch seats in both Kisii and Nyamira counties in the 2017 political contest. Currently ODM enjoys majority seats in the two counties, with Governor Ongwae and his Nyamira counterpart John Nyagarama having been elected on the ODM ticket in 2013.

All the four MPs in Nyamira were elected on CORD allied parties while three out of the nine MPs in Kisii County joined parliament through ODM tickets.

On Sunday last week while in Kisii, Mbadi warned that Jubilee’s frequent trips to Kisii will not yield anything tangible, saying the support ODM enjoys there was enormous.

“We are ready to bag over 90 per cent of votes from Kisii in the 2017 General Election. We are ready to move to State House,” said Mbadi.

Mbadi’s trip to Kisii came shortly after Ford People members met to officially announce the dissolution of the outfit ahead of Jubilee party merger.

But  Ford People interim chairman Albert Nyaundi said Jubilee was working on strategies to turn tables on ODM in the region. He said the dissolution of the party will allow members to put their acts together.

“We now have a strong team to campaign for President Uhuru Kenyatta. That is our agenda and we are ready to give our competitors a run for their money. The have to do away with the notion that Gusii is an ODM zone,” said Nyaundi.

MPs Timothy Bosire (Kitutu Masaba) and Charles Geni (North Mugirango) and Nominated Senator Janet Ongera dispute claims ODM is losing ground in Kisii, insisting the party is coming up with new strategies.