Siaya UDM governor candidate Nicholas Gumbo and his running mate Charles Owino have lashed out at ODM secretary-general Edwin Sifuna over his claims that the two are out to frustrate the Orange party in the county.
Mr Sifuna had rubbished Mr Gumbo's candidacy, arguing that his bid was meant to embarrass party leader Raila Odinga in his backyard.
"My candidature is pegged on the desire to rescue Siaya County from the leaders who have nothing to offer,” Mr Gumbo said.
“Ten years after the start of devolution and Siaya is still behind compared to many other counties and that is the reason I am in the race. Raila is the architect of devolution and as a result his home county must lead."
The former Rarieda MP is giving the governor’s seat a second stab after failing to oust Cornel Rasanga in the 2017 General Election. He failed to overturn the results in the courts.
Mr Gumbo and Mr Owino said they joined UDM because they felt they stood no chance in ODM. They are likely to face Senator James Orengo of ODM in the race.
"This is a serious seat and we owe nobody an apology for contesting. Siaya needs leaders with proven records, not old retirees looking for retirement benefits."
Mr Gumbo also downplayed claims that they were out to frustrate ODM, saying bad leaders in the party have let voters down with shambolic primaries.
"We are the ones being frustrated by the Orange party because there is no transparency in that party and this has created apathy in all the elections,” he said.
“In the 2013 and 2017 elections, over 43,000 voters did not vote, simply because of the shambolic primaries. Mr Owino and I currently have 70 percent of Siaya County behind us and most of them would not vote if our names miss on the ballot."
The two-time Rarieda MP also believes that having several candidates vying for the same positions allows room for democracy, enables many people to take part in the election and reduces voter apathy.
Mr Owino accused Mr Sifuna of running away from the reality in Siaya, saying Mr Odinga is a candidate of many political parties.
Mr Owino ditched ODM, which enjoys huge support in Siaya, less than a month after he officially joined it.
Until his departure, he was the frontrunner for the ODM ticket in party primaries scheduled for April 13.
"Mr Sifuna cannot deliver even a single MCA seat for ODM in Bungoma County. Engineer Gumbo and I can deliver all the Siaya seats to the Orange party,” said the former police officer.
“Instead of fighting us, he should concentrate on the Nairobi Senate seat, which he is contesting against Maina Kamanda, and without fear of contradiction, he can't beat Mr Kamanda."
Out of the gubernatorial aspirants, Mr Orengo is the most experienced politician in Siaya County, with a career spanning over four decades. He was first elected to represent Ugenya constituency in 1980.
Because ODM is the dominant party in Nyanza, bagging its ticket almost guarantees victory.
Mr Orengo has two competitors for the party’s ticket – lawyer George Mugoye and former UN employee Bella Akinyi.
The aspirants are still not sure what method the party will use to select candidates in the primaries.
Of the six counties in the former Nyanza province, only one person was elected governor in 2013 under a party different from ODM. Mr Okoth Obado was elected on a PDP ticket in Migori, defeating ODM candidate Oyugi Akong'o.
ODM elected leaders have vowed to deliver a six-piece result in the August elections – President, governor, senator, MP, woman representative and MCA.
