Raila’s ODM Risks Having no MCA Candidate in Karen Ward
The Orange Democratic Movement that is led by Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya Alliance presidential candidate Raila Odinga risks having no càndidate for the Karen Ward MCA seat.
The party is still struggling to settle the stalemate around the nomination process that was contested and the results reversed.
Records from the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission ( IEBC ) show that the party has no càndidate for Karen Ward.
The commission started clearing càndidates for various seats on Sunday May 29 with the exercise set to end on June 6.
Sources indicate that the party has been given 48 hours by the electoral body to present it’s càndidate for the seat which is currently held by David Mberia.
Mberia has represented the ward on the ODM ticket since 2007 and he is facing a political battle of his lifetime to defend his seat and serve for the fourth time.
The stalemate is said to have spilled to the party’s top hierarchy and the matter left in the hands of Election Director who is also Suna East MP Junet Mohammed.
The confusion has derailed the party’s campaigns in the ward which is also home to party leader Raila Odinga.
The decision by the party to settle on Mberia as the party flag bearer was been contested in court for the second time by 16 aspirants.
Mberia’s win was nullified by the National Appeal’s Tribunal following an appeal by the disatisfied aspirants.
On 27 April,the aspirants met with Sulekha Abdi the Secretary General of ODM, Lang’ata and proposed the name of Johnson Oginga Oduk as their nominee in place of Mberia.
Subsequent consultation meetings were called by the Party’s National Elections Board where the aspirants insisted on Oduk’s name.
A meeting called by the board’s Secretary Abdullahi Diriye and scheduled for 15th may failed to bear fruits
The matter was then referred to the central committee which was to communicate to the aspirants the outcome of it’s deliberation on the same before 18th May, 2022. This never happened instead the aspirants were treated to a rude shock on May 19th, 2022, minutes past 2100hours, when they received a forwarded watsup text from one of the officials that read, “
Following the held with all the Aspirants from Karen Ward on Sunday 12/05/2022 at Convent International Hotel, where members failed to reach a consensus, the matter was referred to the Central Committee of the Party. Based on the report of the consensus meeting, opinion polls that had been conducted, the Party has settled on David Mberia as the Party flag bearer for Karen Ward”
However, records show that the meeting with aspirants was held on May 15th and not 12th as indicated in the WhatsApp text.
The ODM Dispute Tribunal had also called for withdrawal of the interim and nomination certificate to Mberia
Mberia had been listed on the winners list that was given to be given to IEBC but upon realizing that the results are still contested,the electoral agency has since dropped his name.
The confusion reigned after a voter filed a case against the Orange Democratic Movement, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and David Mberia.
According to Martin Chege Irungu,there are integrity issues surrounding the person of David Mberia.
The voter who challenged the process at the Milimani Law courts is also siting massive irregularities in the ODM party primaries for Karen Ward.
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