Lucky aspirants revel in direct tickets, tough wins for the rest
ODM Party leader Raila Odinga (right) when he announced that Homa Bay County Woman Rep Gladys Wanga (centre) will vie for the Homa Bay County gubernatorial seat on an ODM ticket. Evans Kidero (inset), eyeing the same ticket, dismissed the nomination and vowed to contest as an independent.
The just-concluded Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and United Democratic Alliance (UDA) primaries saw most incumbents clinch tickets to defend their seats.
In Homa Bay, MPs Martin Owino (Ndhiwa) and Adipo Okuome (Karachuonyo) were declared the winners of the ODM primaries held on Thursday.
Mr Owino garnered 5,196 votes to beat eight competitors while Mr Okuome had 14 competitors and won with 4,286 votes. Former Kisumu County Roads Executive Joyce Osogo won the ticket for the woman rep seat with16,888 votes.
In Siaya, Woman Rep Christine Ombaka, and MPs Samuel Atandi (Alego Usonga), Elisha Odhiambo (Gem), and Gideon Ochanda (Bondo), all floored their rivals to clinch the tickets.
In Narok County, Emurua Dikirr MP Johanna Ng’eno won the UDA ticket to defend his seat. Mr Ng’eno, who is serving his second term, garnered 14, 381 votes against his only competitor, Mr David Keter, who got 9,128 votes.
In Migori County, Senate aspirant Eddy Oketch and other five legislators had also been handed direct tickets ahead of the August polls.
According to the ODM National Chairman John Mbadi , MPs Paul Abuor (Rongo), Walter Owino (Awendo), Mark Nyamita (Uriri), Junnet Mohammed (Suna East) and Tom Odege (Nyatike) were handed the ODM ticket after their opponents switched to other parties while some are set to vie as independent candidates.
Fear of bungled nominations surfaced strongly ahead of the polls, with some Migori politicians choosing other parties to avoid headache.
Others given direct tickets by ODM are Dr Oburu Oginga, Mr Odinga’s elder brother who was handed a ticket to contest the Siaya Senate seat, Ms Gladys Wanga who is going for the Homa Bay governorship position and Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati ,who is eyeing the Kisii governorship.
Some of the MPs who were spared a competitive nomination process are Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo, Mr Opiyo Wandayi of Ugunja, Mr Opondo Kaluma (Homa Bay Town), Dr Eve Obara (Kabondo Kasipul), Ms Millie Odhiambo (Suba North) and Lilian Gogo from Rangwe.
In Kakamega County, former Kenya Electricity Transmission Company boss Fernandes Barasa has been cleared to run for the governorship position and will be battling it out with Senator Cleophas Malala of UDA.Apart from Mr Barasa, other leaders who got direct tickets to fly the ODM party flag are Mr Oku Kaunya (Teso North Parliamentary seat), Mr Peter Nabulindo (Matungu), Mr Tindi Mwale (Butere), Mr Christopher Aseka (Khwisero), Mr Titus Khamala (Lurambi), Mr Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo), Mr Nabii Nabwera (Lugari), Mr Joab Manyasi (Malava), Mr Bernard Shinali (Ikolomani) and Mr Johnston Naika of Mumias West.
In Siaya County, MP Nicholas Gumbo will be gunning for the governorship on a United Democratic Movement ticket with former police spokesperson Charles Owino as his running mate. They will face off with Senator James Orengo, who got a direct ticket from ODM.
Reporting by Rushdie Oudia, Kassim Adinasi, George Odiwuor, Ian Byron and Ruth Mbula
