MAGARA PDP CANDDATE

Former South Mugirango MP Omingo Magara will now contest the by-election in the constituency on a People’s Democratic Party.

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A lifeline for Magara
He said Friday that he had secured the party's nomination after decamping from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the party that took him to Parliament in the last elections.

Mr Magara said that he decided to leave the party because it was no longer tenable to continue been the treasurer or a member of the ODM because the top leadership was intolerant.

"There are some politicians in the party who completely do not accept divergent issues, and hope that there are always right in what they pursue, therefore killing the democratic spirit that we thought would guide the party," he said.

Hell bent

The South Mugirango parliamentary aspirant said what emboldened his move was when it became evident that there were some people who were hell bent on denying him party nominations.

"When someone went to Matuga he said Halleluyah Mwangoya is here he will get a free nomination, when it came Magara some people murmured and they even started coming up with a false list of delegates to deliberately edge me out of the nomination technically’’ said Mr Magara.

The Matuga endorsement was in apparent reference to Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who while in a tour of Coast Province visited Matuga and urged constituents to vote for the ODM aspirant Mr Mwangoya in a by election in June.

The seat fell vacant after the High Court in Mombasa nullified the election of area MP and Transport minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere over poll irregularities.

Political expediency

Mr Magara added that his action was necessitated by the fact that personal interest and political expediency had eroded the democratic ideals of inclusiveness, consultation and popular will which formed the bedrock of ODM.

The former assistant Trade minister said that transient and selfish interest had replaced national interest, which was once cherished by the party.

"Ethnic chauvinism, nepotism had poisoned the cordial, free and progressive atmosphere the party once enjoyed," said Mr Magara.

Mr Magara was welcomed to his new party by PDP party leader Stephen Nyarangi who said they will vigorously campaign for Mr Magara to win back the seat.