Monday, September 17, 2012

ODM retains Ndhiwa seat with landslide



By Mangoa Mosota and James Omoro
Augustino Neto Oyugi won the Ndhiwa by-election with provisional results showed he won by a landslide margin.
Neto won the contest beating his closest rival, Kanu’s Tom Alila with 19, 275 votes. He bagged 89.9 per cent of the 24, 255 votes cast. The other candidate was Rosemary Rumo of TNA. Alila scored a paltry 2,290 votes.
The 35-year-old MP elect was confident of emerging the victor during the campaigns for the seat after he won the ODM ticket amid controversy.. The campaigns attracted national party leaders such as Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Kanu’s chairman Gideon Moi and TNA presidential aspirant Uhuru Kenyatta.
Neto had expressed that the seat was as good as his after he beat 22 aspirants in the ODM nominations
“I won this contest many days ago, the election was a mere formality,” he said yesterday.
Neto was excited as his supporters congratulated him with song and dance. The results were being shown on a large screen, after tallying at Ndhiwa Multi Purpose Hall, in Ndhiwa town.
There were 48, 661 registered voters, but those who cast their vote were 24, 255, representing voter turnout of 49.9 per cent.
There was little cheering as the Returning Officer Maurice Simiyu read the results.
In his victory speech, Neto said he has developed a strategic plan, which will guide him in the development of the constituency.
“The infrastructure of the constituency, especially the road is in poor state. This will be my priority,” he said.
His win gives comfort to Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who last weekend said he would not seek the presidency if Neto lost in the by-election.
Raila, who had an extensive one day campaign said it would be an embarrassment if ODM lost the Ndhiwa seat.
mmigration Minister Otieno Kajwang said the seat belonged to ODM.   The seat fell vacant after the demise of Internal Security Assistant Minister Orwa Ojode, who perished  in a helicopter crash in June.
The bespectacled Neto is a trained lawyer and a graduate of University of Nairobi.
He is human rights consultant and has worked for a number of non-governmental organisations. He often put on  trademark Akala shoes, carved out used tyres.
The new MP is married with one child. His major challenges include addressing the poor roads system in the constituency.
He said he want to provide leadership that will transform the constituency.
I will offer leadership and not politics. My constituents are yearning someone to uplift their living standards,” he said.
The constituency’s politics had been influenced by its five clans- Kanyikela, Kabuoch, Kanyamwa, Kwabwai and Kanyadoto.
“Clanism is big problem and it has divided us. I want to bring all the leaders together so that we can unite the people,” he said.
Ndhiwa constituency has experienced a recent boost in commercial agriculture, with opening of Sukari Industry Limited. Construction of the factory was strongly supported by Ojode. However, some local leaders opposed the project, located in Riat Trading Centre.
It processes cane from most parts of the constituency, including neigbouring constituencies.



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