News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo

The just concluded and violence marred ODM grass root elections in Luo-Nyanza wee not what it takes to be called fair and democratic, but sham, dictatorial and highly manipulated.

The elections has left the party a divided house and much weakened than ever before. The possibilities of those problems during the just concluded, but highly flawed and manipulated polls moving to other parties cannot be ruled out.

The party election in a region where it is the only party of choice did not in any sense reflected the persistent claims by its top leaders including the Prime Minister Raila Odinga that it is practicing the essence and principles of the tenets democracy.

The exercise was similar to the usually flawed parliamentary and civic nomination which on occasion has led to its dismal performance at the various by-elections in the recent past.

Those who won positions in the grass roots at the sub-locations levels were late shocked to find their names missing during the elections at the locations level and the matters were not good at the County elections.

Several big names of seasoned politicians lost to the newcomers. They include the former cabinet D. Paul Adhu Awiti in West Karachuonyo and the former branch chairman Jack Nduri were all locked out of the race at the sub-locations and locations level.

A former Assistant Minister for Education and two times MP for the old larger Homa-Bay Phares Oluoch Kanindo who is an aspirant for Migori County Senate seat could not go beyond the sub-location level. Rongo constituency had ten officially recognized administrative locations, but Kanindo and other had won the grass root in the two sub-locations which were recently proposed to be elevated to full locations, but hare yet to be gazette as such.

During the County elections held at the Migori Teachers College several party members, particularly from the areas where the election did not take place in a proper manner and in accordance to the party constitution had moved to court and obtained court injunction stopping the elections. But the delegates and interested individuals locked the gates of the Migori Teachers training College and refused to accept the court paper.

The court paper stopping the election had been obtained through a Migori lawyer Omondi Kasera. The court process servers were topped and denied entry into the election venue.

Those who felt grieved who moved to court to stop the elections were Elkana Kaudo, Eng Ezra Odondi, Joseph Ong’ondo Ngani and Phares Oluoch Kanindo.The group’s contention and main complaints was that elections in Rongo constituency had excluded two subs location and wanted it repeated.

After the election coordinator for Migori was served with court papers, which he refused to accept an sign for, the paper were left with him, but the complainants have since moved to Nairobi and served the court paper s to the party Headquarters at the Orange House in Nairobi.

In Rongo the names of those who won the elections in their respective sub-locations were had their names doctored and thrown into the dustbins, and only the names of those who did not won or even the one who did even not participated in the sub-branch elections were the ones which surfaced and emerged as the delegates. These were people perceived to be allied to the MP Dalmas Otieno, while the elections in most of the sub-branches were won by men and women opposed to the MP. It makes the whole exercise a mockery to the democratic tenets.

The elections were so chaotic and even forced Minister Kajwang’ to fled the venue immediately after he was named the Homa-Bay County branch chairman, leaving dozens of delegates from his Mbita constituency stranded at Homa-Bay town.

The other Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang had won his election fairly fro sub-location, location and district level, though it later merged those delegates from Rangwe, Kasipul- Kabondo, Karachuonyo and Gwassi had some complications. Many were locked out or had their names replaced by other people leading to the election to be held by a consensus not by voting system.

In the elections proper which was carried out by consensus Elijah M Magaiwa from Kuria constituency was finally named the Migori County ODM boss, while the vice chairman is Coun. Odera Awene from Central Sakwa Location in Awendo district, Joseph Ocheng’ from Migori constituency was elected the branch secretary hike the Nyatike MP Erick Omondi Anyanga was name the branch Treasurer.

For the party to survive onslaught from its rivals, the ODM must ensure that proper elections are carried out. And those places where genuine complaints are detected the elections should be nullified and proper one with close supervision by top official from the party headquarters be repeated.

In many places returning officers and the coordinators who supposed to supervisor the elections turned out to be the most corrupted and conmen out to make money. Rowdy youths were allowed to run away with he elections materials in a gangster fashion or coordinators had found this was the way of making cheap money and haw allowed themselves to be manipulated by individual interests, the culprits being the MPs. Names of the election losers or hose who did not take part in the election were later sneaked into the elections papers, while those of the genuinely elected leader doctored out. This became the source of violence which saw several people assaulted at Tom Mboya Labor College in Kisumu including an MP was assaulted and beaten up senselessly by rowdy youths.

Former Mathare MP Gilbert Ocheng’ Mbeo from Rongo and the Minister for Public Service who at one time was a member of the East African Legislative Assembly was named delegate together with a member of the Kenya Sugar Board Zachary Okoth Obado from Uriri. Also named a delegate to the National party governing council was Dalmas Otino the Minister for Public Service and MP for Rongo. The branch strictly observed the gender rule and several women were named as party of the delegates.

In the neighboring Homa-Bay County, Immigration Minister Gerald Otieno Kajwang’ was named the ODM chairman with the Rangwe MP Martin Otieno Ogindo as his vice, while the Karachuonyo MP Eng. Jams Rege was elected the branch secretary. A Ndhiwa politician Monica Amolo was name the branch secretary.

The Homa-Bay County branch of the ODM also strictly observe gender issues and several women won place among the delegates t the national Council.

In Kisumu City, Dave Okwatch a delegates from Kisumu Town West was elected the Kisumu County ODM branch chairman wit Coun Shem Onyango as the vice chairman an exercise which sparked off a near violence protests. Rosa Buyu was named the branch women leader and Grace Akumu from Nyakach became the women branch secretary.

Both Okwatch and Buyu hails from Bondo in the home turf lf the party leader Raila Odinga, and this raised suspicion that their elections were staged managed or directed by someone from above.

Ends