OJODE IN A NEAR CLASH WITH ANOTHER PARLIAMENTARY HOPEFUL IN NDHIWA.
Posted by African Press International on November 4, 2007
By our correspondent Leo Odera Omolo, leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
API/APN in Kisumu, Kenya1/11/07: Police in Ndhiwa, Homa Bay district averted what could have ended in serious confrontation when two groups supporting different parliamentary hopefuls called for two separate meetings in the same venue.
Mr. Denis Orero an aspirant for Ndhiwa parliamentary seat had booked Ndhiwa Divisonal headquarters as a venue for launching his election campaign.
Mr. Oreros meeting coincided with another meeting of ODM delegates from the 14 administrative locations in Ndhiwa constituency. The meeting, which was called by the outgoing Ndhiwa MP Joshua Orwa Ojode, was held inside Ndhiwa Community Hall.
Mr. Orero had hired a live electronic band, with loud music blaring loudly at the busy Ndhiwa market. But his music only attracted small children who were seen dancing in the Verandahs of shops.
Men and women included those people who had transported on Matatus and other mode of transport from his Kabuoch home area in Magina market, Riana Division got attracted to the ODM leaders meeting and abandoned the new aspirant valley for ODM meeting.
Reached by phone Ojode vehemently denied that he had called for the leaders meeting deliberately to disrupt Mr. Oreros campaign launching meeting in the same venue.
The long serving MP said he had no prior knowledge about his opponents arrangements and plan for launching his campaign and it was coincident that the two meetings took place simultaneously at the same time.
Ndhiwa seat has attracted a dozen of new aspirants from the five different sub-clans which make Ndhiwa constituency. The five sub-clans consisted of Joka Obuoch, Jokanyamwa, Jokwabwayi, Jokanyikela and Jokanyidoto.
But Jokabuoch which is the dominant sub-clan with more registered voters had many candidates Kanyamwa had only two, while Kwabwayi one, Kanyidoto two and Kanyikela two.
The outgoing immediate former MP Joshua Ojode is the only candidate in Kwabwayi in this largest community while Kanyidoto had Mr. Jerry Owiti and Mrs. Monica Amolo.
Kabuoch had the largest number of aspirants who included Mr. Denis Orero, Mr. Agustino O. Netto, Mr. Charles Oyoo Kanyangi, Mr. Kanyadudi and another one and Nyado Othina.
A good number of those who had earlier declared their candidature are reported to have chicken out in favour of the immediate former MP Joshua Orwa Ojode.
In Kanyamwa Mr. Tom Okello Obondo a former MP for the area who had taken the nomination papers at the ODM headquarters and another person is said not to have returned their papers and therefore are counted out of the ODM preliminaries.
In Kanyikela only one aspirant returned her papers. She is Mrs. Monica Amolo the wife of the former Hospital Superintendent at the new Nyanza General Hospital Dr. Amolo. While in Kanyidoto only one aspirant is still in the race. He is Mr. Jerry Owiti.
Mr. Tom Otieno Alila who had also declared his interest in Ndhiwa seat failed to return his papers. He is also from from Kanyikela sub clan.
May be more aspirants for nomination on the tickets of other parties like KANU, FORD Kenya, Ford People, PNU and others. But so far the wind is that Ojode might retain his seat with a lot of easiness.
A Mr. Ted Odero a well known ODM activist and power broker based in Kisumu is also said to have chicken out of the race due to alleged lack of money for deposit at the ODM headquarters.
This now leaves the race for Ndhiwa as a three-horse race between Ojode, Monica Amolo and Charles Oyoo Kanyangi a former principal magistrate who is now practicing lawyer in Nairobi.
Ojode, however, is leading the packs with a clean track record of development in the constituency. His tenure has witnessed massive development of schools, dispensaries, health centers, roads, primary and secondary schools, water supply and electricity supplies to nearby institutions within the four administrative divisions that make Ndhiwa constituency.
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