Sent by Gordon Teti

The Standard Published on 19/04/2011
By JOHN OYWA

A Kenyan born preacher living in Canada is among hundreds of candidates vying for seat in the country’s federal elections due next month.

Rev George Okoth Otura, a former youth leader in both Ford-Kenya and the defunct Liberal Democratic Party has been nominated by the Christian Heritage Party, which fielded candidates in all the 46 electoral districts — the equivalent of Kenya’s constituencies.

Otura, 48, is campaigning to capture the York West Electoral District in the city of Toronto.

Make History

York West is the heart of the multi-culture and racial diversity with close to 200 community’s residents and Otura seeks to use the multi-racial platform and young voters to make history.

“I not only want to make history as the first Kenyan to become an MP in the Canadian House of Commons but to prove that leaders is not about the colour of one’s skin,” Otura told The Standard on phone from Toronto where he has been living ever since he left Kenyan in 2005.

Controversial character

A search at the Christian Heritage Party’s website conformed Otura has been nominated to contest the seat.

The Canada’s 41st federal election is slated for May 2 and will be the fourth in the past seven years with 308 seats to be contested in the House of Commons.

Otura has been a controversial character right from the time he signed up as member of volunteer security team for the late opposition leader he late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. He fled to Canada in 2005 claiming his life was in danger and later founded the Christian Democratic Movement-Kenya.

In 2007, Otura made news when he filed a case against Kenya at the International Criminal Court at The Hague over atrocities the successive Government had allegedly committed against Kenyans.

Never took off

The case never took off due to legal technicalities.

Yesterday, he said he was confident of winning the seat.

“I did a lot a lot of consultations and political calculations before entering the race. I have a lot of political campaign tactics which I learnt from the late Jaramogi,” he said.

“I have promised the voters affordable housing, easy access to art and music, healthcare and better education.”

Buoyed by the historic election of Barack Obama whose father was a Kenyan as the first Black American President, a number of Kenyans living overseas have been eyeing political leadership in those countries.