Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi to fly ODM flag in August polls
Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi.
Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi will now fly the ODM party flag in the constituency after party leader Raila Odinga brokered a deal between him and an aspirant Mike Gumo.
Mr Gumo agreed to step down in Mr Wanyonyi’s favour.
ODM Director of Elections Junet Mohamed said the deal was brokered after consultations within the party under the chairmanship of Mr Odinga.
“We had conducted nominations in Westlands constituency but it was not completed because of the negotiations that were going on in regards to the country seats.
“Tim Wanyonyi had the intention of running for the governor of Nairobi County but after negotiations within Azimio, it was decided that he goes back and runs in Westlands,” Mr Mohamed said at a presser held at Serena Hotel in Nairobi.
He pointed out that since Mr Gumo had participated in the ODM primaries for the constituency, it was only fair for the party to reach a consensus on the matter regarding its candidate for the August 9 elections.
“It is in this regard that ODM has done consultations chaired by our party leader Raila Odinga and Mr Gumo has accepted to step down in favour of Hon Tim Wanyonyi who will now be the ODM candidate in Westlands constituency,” said Mr Mohamed.
He went on: “So that matter has been sorted and those who were waiting for a fall out, today is not a good Sunday for them. As ODM we are now prepared to join hands together to make sure we retain this seat as it were in the last 10 years.”
Mr Gumo is the son of former Westlands MP Fred Gumo.
On Sunday, the aspirant said he had agreed to step down in favour of Mr Wanyonyi whom he referred to as his elder.
“We’ve agreed as Azimio. It was a difficult process but I have agreed to step down because Tim Wanyonyi is my elder.
“We are all members of one family under Azimio and our aim is to win the presidency,” Mr Gumo said.
Mr Wanyonyi said the consultation process had been done amicably, adding that he is ready to recapture the seat come August elections.
He said the party had demonstrated that it has noble internal dispute mechanisms as opposed to the involvement of the courts.
“Kriegler (Johann) told us that we should not allow courts to manage our democracy. Parties have mechanisms to manage this process.
“What we have witnessed is the mechanism laid down in the political parties act and that ODM can manage to settle disputes that arise from the process of elections,” Mr Wanyonyi said.
He was referring to a report by the Kriegler commission that was chaired by retired South African judge Johann Kriegler.
It was an international commission of inquiry established by the Government in February 2008 to Inquire into all aspects of the 2007 General elections with particular emphasis on the presidential elections.
Mr Wanyonyi said he was glad that the impasse regarding Westlands parliamentary candidate had now been solved following the talks.
“This has been done amicably and all of us are happy. ODM remains the strongest party in Nairobi and we must maintain our position.
“We are now ready to go. We have all agreed to support one position for the party and coalition to win. We have taken one common stand that I will be the candidate in Westlands and they (other aspirants) will all rally behind me,” said Mr Wanyonyi.
Mr Wanyonyi had been facing a fresh hurdle in his bid to defend the parliamentary seat after the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal nullified the earlier decision of the ODM party to nominate him as its candidate in the forthcoming polls.
The tribunal had ruled that ODM erred in revoking the nomination of Mr Gumo, who won in the primaries conducted last month on April 22, 2022.
Mr Wanyonyi was not a contender in the primaries as he was focusing on Nairobi Governorship.
He later stepped down from the gubernatorial race after his party’s coalition, Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya, nominated former deputy governor Polycarp Igathe as its candidate.
The party revoked Mr Gumo's certificate and issued Mr Wanyonyi with a direct ticket, triggering a legal battle by Mr Gumo, which has now come to an end following the deal brokered by Mr Odinga.
