By Standard Team
Violence flared in Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) elections during a weekend of upsets, running battles, confusion and gunshots as exercise engaged final gear.
There were disputes galore as civic leaders beat MPs in the hotly contested elections for chairpersons at the county level.
But party leader, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, tried to remain above the fray, following his pre-election pledge not to take sides in the polls, even as several party heavyweights cried foul after losing.
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Prime Minister Raila Odinga. File/Standard
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The PM instead kept himself busy at a fundraising function in Kerugoya, far from the heat raised by disputes over ODM election results in several counties.
The party has said it will hold repeat polls in areas where the process was dominated by errors in order to placate supporters and avoid its rivals gaining from any fallout.
Various MPs, including Martin Ogindo (Rangwe), Omondi Anyanga (Nyatike), Ochieng Daima (Nyakach) and John Mbadi (Gwasi) found themselves in the centre of ugly scenes during the elections.
In Homa Bay town, Ogindo’s bodyguard was forced to shoot in the air to rescue the MP from marauding crowds baying for his blood, before he was rescued by Administration Police officers.
In Emuhaya, area MP Wilbur Otichillo lost in the sub-branch elections to councillor Khalid Njirani got 275 votes while Dr Otichillo managed only 106.
But Otichillo acknowledged the elections were free and fair and promised to continue with his development projects despite the defeat. He asked the people of Emuhaya to remain solidly behind ODM.
In Shinyalu, area MP Justus Kizito also suffered defeat at to an old rival Mr Anami Lisamula, who was away in Indonesia. Lisamula garnered 82 votes against Kizito’s 67.
Shooting
In many areas of Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western and Nairobi parallel groups declared themselves winners after conducting separate elections.
Four people were shot and seriously wounded in a confrontation in Kibera slums, Nairobi County during the ODM polls. Police arrested a businessman who is seeking an elective post in the area over the shooting.
Those hurt in the fracas were admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital and are nursing multiple injuries.
Police said a gunman guarding one of the contestants in the branch elections shot in the air in a confrontation. The elections went on until late in the night when the shooting occurred.
ODM Secretary General Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o admitted there were hitches in some parts of the country, but said the rules of the party were clear-cut. Nyong’o said some MPs decided only to be elected as delegates without seeking branch and county positions.
"We want to have proper officials at grassroots before we call for National Delegates Conference in early 2012," Nyong’o said.
In Nairobi Cabinet Minister Fred Gumo angrily dismissed reports he was humiliated in the elections by losing to a relatively unknown civic leader.
Homa Bay Deputy OCPD Wanjala Wabwoba said the police were yet to receive an official complaint by Martin Ogindo following claims the Rangwe MP had been attacked.
"They have not reported the matter to us officially, though we have information there was chaos," he said. In Nyatike, Rongo, Uriri, Nyando, Rangwe and Kasipul Kabondo constituencies, the MPs were accused of providing parallel lists that were disputed, and eventually led to bloody confrontations.
Prominent losers included Mbadi, who failed to become a delegate at the sub branch level, while Magwanga’s team lost in the sub branch elections.
Presiding officers were punched and molested in Homa Bay, Gwasi and Kisumu where they had to be rescued by police and the public after they declined to change the results.
In Mbita, the Deputy OCPD said Ahmed Mohammed said the elections were marred by chaos in some parts of Gwasi constituency due to misunderstandings between delegates, but it was later contained.
"All this was due to some misunderstandings, but things were later settled and elections picked on well," he said.
Anyanga denied having been involved in any confrontation and blamed his opponents for causing chaos.
"I won the elections, but some people were out to create chaos," he said. But former Nyatike MP Owigo Olang blamed Anyanga for the chaos, saying he wanted to impose delegates on the people after his team lost from the locational level.
Defeated
At Kisumu’s Tom Mboya Labour College, Ochieng exchanged blows with youth allied to his opponents and it took the intervention of other youth from Kisumu East to protect the MP.
His opponents, led by former Nyakach MP Peter Odoyo, Bob Ndolo and Eng Vincent Kodera claimed Ochieng had doctored the list and that they will not accept him as the chairman of the sub branch.
Daima said: "It was unfortunate that I was being attacked by goons hired by my opponents after I defeated them," he said.
In Nyando, a change in the list of delegates and alteration of names was the highlight of the exercise after those in the camp of the MP Fred Outa were defeated at the sub-location and locational levels.
There were running battles at the Ahero Multipurpose Hall after some delegates found their names replaced by those they said had lost in the elections. In Homa Bay County, returning officer Mr Dominic Chwanya Amolo claimed youths who had accompanied an MP to a hotel within the town beat him up demanding the list of election results.
In Muhoroni, a court order stopped the election after a member challenged certain irregularities in the court. A pastor who was to preside over the Alego/Usonga constituency ODM sub-branch elections fled for his dear life as rowdy youths disrupted the exercise. Pastor Sira Sira, who was the returning officer, was roughed up and election materials he was carrying destroyed by youths allied to a camp opposed to area MP Edwin Yinda during the chaotic elections at Boro market.
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