Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Migori Town
The on going electioneering campaign by people who are vying for various elective position in ODM tickets had become the sources of discontent in many parts of Luo-Nyanza with aspirants vying for the various elective positions within Migori County have accused Dalmas Otieno the Minister for Public Service of gross interference in what could otherwise be a smooth and peaceful elections campaigns in the region ahead of next week’s ODM nomination exercise.
Earlier this week Minister Otieno ‘s convoy of several sleek campaign vehicles had come under halls of stones, a clear indication that things are not moving smoothly in favor of the Minister who is also the incumbent Rongo MP, and who is defending his parliamentary seat.
The Minister was driving back to his Rongo rural home after addressing a series of campaign rallies at Kamgundho, Cham-Gi-Wadu when rowdy and drunken youths hurled stones to his motorcade.
The symptoms that the Minister is not all that a comfortable man even at his family level is the fact that his elder son Jared Oteno aged 46 is among the aspirants who have signed a statement requesting the ODM headquarters at the Orange House to instill some amount of discipline to the Minister.
The aspirants want the ODM to stop his plan of dishing out nominations certificates to certain preferred candidates a head of the ODM nomination exercise schedule for January 17, 2013.
The protest by ODM aspirants came about after Dalmas Otieno had released a press statement detailing how all elective positions will be dished out in Miori County. The statement has it that the position of Miogori governor would go to Prof. Edward Akong’o Oyugi, while the deputy governor positions will go to Zachary Okoth Obado, and the Senator seat will go to Dr Walter Machage the current MP for Kuria.
The aspirants have said that Dalmas Oteno ha no constitutional mandate of giving direct nomination to any aspirants and they insisted that all the aspirants irrespective of their status within the society should be subjected to open, fair and just nomination. They termed Dalmas Otieno’s action “dictatorial and mockery to the democratic principles.
The Minister’s own son Jared Otieno is among those contesting for the Migori governor seat and he is in a different and parallel election campaign camp.Jared Otieno launched his campaign last Sunday with pop and pageantry in Migori town.
He has since been tearing into his father’s private life and questioning the Minister’s integrity as a leader. While the Minister is reported to have disowned his son in private, but never uttered any tired vitriols against his son publicly, and the campaign by the two against each other is drawing a lot of interests in the region and could weaken the ODM voting strength unless the party acted with speed and have the sanity restored.
The Senate seat has also attracted the former Mathare MP Ochieng’Mbeo who has twice served as a member of the East African Legislative Assembly in Arusha, John Magaiwa,the ODM Migori County branch chairman,Prof. Chacha Nyaigoti. One of the aspirants who got disgusted Phrares Oluoch Kanindo a one time two terms MP for the large Homa-Bay constituency has since pulled out in anger and declared that he would contest the Senate seat as an independent candidate.
Many other aspirants on ODM tickets in Migori County said they would consider ditching the party unless Dalmas Otieno is disciplined by the ODM head office.They are arguing that the Minister is contradicting the party’s declared policy that nobody would be given a direct nomination,a stand which the Prime Minister RailaOdinga has persistently reiterated many times make it quite clear that no such a thing will happen and that all must go to the ballot boxes to determine the winner.
The protest note was signed by one Paul Abuor who is perceived to be a Dalmas Otieno’s protégé and who is an aspirant in Rongo parliamentary seatand Jared OtIeno the Minister’s own sons.
The stoning of the Minister’s vehicles came in the wake and after only a week after another aspirant for the governor position Mrs Anne Omodho Anyanga had her cart windscreen smashed by rowdy youths suspected to be supporters of Dalmas Oteno I Rongo Town. The youth roughed up Mrs Anyanganga who is the wife of the Nyatike MP Edick Omondi Anyanga,who has mounted the most elaborate campaign using a hired chopper.
Mrs Anyanga, who was traversing the entire Rongo constituency, had landed at Rongo Primary School, which is allocated inside main Rongo market.
Market and a crowd rushed to the scene where she was addressing a huge crowd which had formed itself instantly at the places .
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The youth were shouting “Gonywa Gonywa” and menacingly demanding that she give the money, but sensing the danger of her persona l safety Mrs Anyanga jumped into her vehicle which drove to the Choper.The chopper took off amid hails of stones thrown to it in the air by the youth.
Looking shaken Mrs Anyanga flew out of Rongo and landed in some other places within the constituency like Opapo, Ranen, Kodero Bara, BUT SCATHINGLY CONDEMNED THE INCIDENT , WHICH SHE SAW AS AN ATTEMPT TO DISCRIMINATE THE GENDER AND WOMEN FROM CONTESTING PUBLIC OFFICES.
ENDS