Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Homa-Bay Town.
SECURITY details of the Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga ON Wednesday this week.and shielded the CORD presidential candidate from being hit when the mayhem broke loose during the ODM campaign rally at Homa-Bay Town
The Prime Minister was on the last leg of his three days campaign mission in his native home region of Luo-Nyanza.The trouble started when CORD leader made futile attempt to disown the ODM aspirants who have crossed over into other parties and got cleared by the IEBC to contest the March 4, 2013 general elections.
These were the same aspirants who had contested the election on ODM tickets, but felt aggrieved and deliberately rigged out after the much flawed ODM primary nomination.
Most of the rebel aspirants crossed to parties in partnership with the ODM under the enlarged CORD alliance.
The biggest crowd had turned out at the Homa-Bay campaign rally which was attended by the Prime Minister and several cabinet Ministers. The crowd was splinted into smaller groups of supporters carrying the portraits and electi0on posters of their favorite candidates, most of them those who had ditched ODM and crossed over t other parties.
The Gwassi MP John Mbadi, who was the master of ceremony pleaded with the crowd to drop the posters as this was an embarrassment to the Prime Minister, but the crowd defiantly displayed the posters while bursting into songs of praise for their favorite candidates. The MP’s voice was swallowed into shouting match by the huge crowd.
A heated argument ensued between the crowd and the Ministers followed by flying shoes and stones, some which hit the podium but kissed the dignitaries. The protesters appeared to have targeted the Immigration and Registration of Persons Minister Gerald Otieno Kajwang’
At one point a shoe thrown from the crowd hit the Minister and several others, while the Prime Minister was shielded by his security details and the Lands Minister James Orengo. The Minister had earlier tried to calm down the enraged crowd but was heckled and shouted down.
The security personnel moved in and charged on the crowd and even making the matters worse. It was the youthful Sports Minister Ababu Namwamba who successfully pleaded with the crowd to calm down before Raila made his address after the order and calm had been restored.
During the melee that followed the crowd run helter scalter leaving behind hundreds of shoes which were used as missiles.
Insults were hurled at Kajwang’, who prior to the ODM nomination was the chairman of the party in Homa-Bay County and who the crowd blamed for having messed u the nomination. They called the Ministers names such as “Traitor” “Andhoga’.
Other voices coming from the crowd defiantly praised and approved the candidature of Hilary Ochieng; Alila, who is Kajwang’s only rival in the Homa-Bay Senatorial contest in the Homa-Bay Senatorial contest, though Alila was nowhere to be seen.
Alila is still on the race on the ticket of Omingo Magara led Democratic Party of Kenya and the populist aspirant is expected to give Kajwang’ a run for his money come the March 4, 2013,
Raila faced similar problem when he toured Migori County the previous day. All the problems emanating from the flawed ODM nomination
In Migori, the former Nyatike M Edick Omondi Anyanga, whose wife Anne Omondi Anyanga was among those whose election were questionable had been made the deputy governor, whose nomination is also questionable. Insiders say no nomination took place in the took place in the entire Nyatike constitu4ndfy. although the IEBC had cleared the former MP and sever County representatives plus his wife.The same problems occurred in Migiori East constituency where a Somali Juneet Mohamed who is believed to be a believed to aver won the primary nomination. There were unconfirmed allegation of bribery both at the ODM headquarter and also at the IEBC.
In his address Raila Odinga urged the electorate to vote for ODM candidates only in a six pieces pattern to ensure that his party secure majority MPs.. He said this would give the ODM the majority seats in the August House, but if they voted for those aspiring for the election using other parties tickets, the ODM parliamentary strength could be reduced into minority. But a section of the crowd could not hear of this, though ‘Agwambo” spoke in vernacular telling them’yawa kik ukuod wiya [please do not shame me}
Raila, however, made political blunder when he described those seeking elective position in the region using tickets from other parties including those in partnership with the ODM under CORD umbrella as “Madoadoa”This remark provoked further murmuring among the crowd.
When the former Rangwe MP Eng Phillip Okoth Okundi turned out at the venue of the rally then broke loose as if the heaves had come down on the earth. Okundi is believed by many people within the locality to have won the position of the co. Awiti..
The ODM candidate for the Homa-Bay County women rep 5esentatiuve Mrs Gladys Wanga was subjected to a lot of insult and called name with some of the unprintable insults and insinuations. She is believed not to have won the primary fairly, but was rigged in on instruction of the Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang’.
Wanga is believed to have polled close to 31,00 votes against the winner Mrs Roselyn Onyuka, the former Nyanza PDE who polled 47,000 and above, but her names was cancelled at the ODM headquarters where she was replaced by Mrs Wanga. These were some of the issues which had angered and enraged the Homa-Bay crowd,and provoked them to act violently
From the looking of things,the majority of voters in Luoi-Nyanza appeared ti be hell-bent on voting for non-ODM candidates.
Ends