ODM to issue new nomination rules as elections team goes home

By ISAAC ONGIRI
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Former ODM National Election Board chairperson Judy Pareno (left) and board member Peter Odoyo address the press at Orange House in the past. In a bold step targeted at restoring confidence in the party’s internal electoral system, ODM leader Raila Odinga this week bowed to pressure and allowed the sacking of the party’s powerful National Elections Board effectively sending home its chairperson Judy Pareno and Ms Nancy Abisai. FILE PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

New nomination rules aimed at restoring order in the Orange Democratic Movement Party and end culture of chaotic party elections will be put in place before the end of the year.

In a bold step targeted at restoring confidence in the party’s internal electoral system, ODM leader Raila Odinga this week bowed to pressure and allowed the sacking of the party’s powerful National Elections Board effectively sending home its chairperson Judy Pareno and Ms Nancy Abisai.

The two are also members of the East African Legislative Assembly MPs.

On Saturday, a top party official said that the two will be punished further by being kicked out of the EALA later this year over what is claimed to be their dismal performance while serving at the electoral organ.

Mr Odinga has also been advised against supporting Peter Odoyo who is claimed to be lobbying for the EALA position when countries nominate later in the year.

Cord will have four slots which means that ODM will nominate two while Ford Kenya and Wiper Democratic Movement will share the remaining two.

Jubilee, on the other hand, will have five slots to share.

The former Nyakach MP was also part of the board whose dissolution ODM announced on Thursday night from Maanzoni Lodge where the party members had gone for retreat.

Other members of the dissolved board are Mr Amana Mwajirani, Hellen Katengie, Peter Mutulu and Joseph Misoi.

INTERNAL REFORMS

“We are keen on proper internal reforms so as to ensure our primaries are undertaken in an environment that give room for a free and fair process. We are working on party nomination rules and we will inform you about the progress,” Mr Odinga said.

There has been an outcry over the management of party elections starting from February 2014 when a ODM Delegates Conference degenerated into a chaotic event after a politically organised gang stormed the election venue and destroyed electoral materials.

Then came the Homa Bay senatorial by-election which was equally mismanaged after attempts to conduct a collegiate exercise flopped.

The board is yet to explain what happened in the party’s grassroots elections where two line-ups have emerged both claiming legitimacy especially in Nyanza region.

NEB’s handling of the Malindi by-elections where despite having collected results they declined to announce results from Malindi causing unnecessary panic within the party.

The party’s NEB flew back to Nairobi only to declare the same results in which Willy Mtengo had won from Nairobi several days later.

“We are doing away with the culture of issuing direct nominations to individuals. I want to assure our members that nomination will be the same in Suba just as it will be in Budalangi,” Mr Namwamba said.

He said fresh nomination rules are being worked on and would be unveiled after being endorsed by the Central Management Committee.

REFRESHED STRATEGY

The party chairman John Mbadi confirmed that ODM is keen on a refreshed strategy in handling of internal party elections that has always caused internal rift.

“We want to ensure an internal system that is working. This issue of nomination must be fixed on time,” he said.

An ODM official told the Sunday Nation that the board had failed to handle cartels that engaged in corruption and chaos.

“It was difficult for the board to discharge responsibility. There was a feeling that their continued stay would have been a major disaster due to increasing agitation for their removal. People want a thorough clean-up of the entire system around our party leader. We got very dirty people,” said a party official.

It is unclear who will fill the position of chairperson but ODM insiders indicated that Mr George Mboya, a professional logistics experts and an official at the Cord Secretariat, is being touted to take over from Ms Pareno.

The position is one of the hot seats in ODM and highly influential characters within the party system normally violate every rule to ensure they have their way in the process.

Commenting on the matter Nyatike MP Omondi Anyanga said that the issue is emotive and must be handled with care.

“Nomination will always be divisive no matter how clean. There are people who will never accept defeat,” the MP said.

All ODM nominations especially those in Nyanza and Western where the party is stronger have ended up in chaos with cartels taking charge and calling the shorts when the party tries to reorganise and get people nominated.