The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has come up with a new strategy to ring-fence its traditional bastions of Nyanza, Coast and Western against encroachment by President William Ruto .
Top party officials are said to have raised concerns that President Ruto was seeking to exploit his political truce with ODM leader Raila Odinga to endear himself to the regions. The thinking by the party officials is that, should the President succeed on this front, Mr Odinga would lose his influence and bargaining power going into the 2027 General Election.
Dr Ruto won the 2022 race largely with the support of the Rift Valley and Mt Kenya regions. Mt Kenya, which handed him nearly three million votes, is seen to be drifting away following the impeachment of Mr Rigathi Gachagua as Deputy President. This leaves the President politically vulnerable, informing his urgency to get a new voting bloc.
ODM has since lined up major rallies and Thanksgiving events for its newly installed officials in the three regions. This even as it gears up for grassroots elections scheduled for November 27, which is part of its larger game plan to strengthen its.
Mr Odinga will next Thursday be in Kisii to attend a rally and a thanksgiving ceremony for Governor Simba Arati, who was recently installed as one of the party’s co-deputy party leaders. On December 1, he will be in Vihiga County for a similar event organised by Senator Godfrey Osotsi. Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has also planned a similar event on a date yet to be announced.
ODM national chairperson Gladys Wanga, who is also the Homa Bay governor, on November 10 hosted Mr Odinga for a thanksgiving meeting that was attended by top party honchos.
The issue of political encroachment by UDA is said to have dominated a meeting between Mr Odinga and ODM MPs from Western region on Tuesday in Nairobi. The meeting hosted by ODM Mr Osotsi was attended by at least 25 politicians, among them Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya, governors Paul Otuoma (Busia) and Fernandes Barasa (Kakamega), ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, and ODM Nairobi Chairman and Makadara MP George Aladwa.
Reached for comment, Mr Osotsi said their deliberation was largely on the party’s upcoming grassroots elections.
Mr Odinga and other party top brass have in the past maintained that ODM has no coalition agreement with Dr Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), but only donated some of its experts.
Ms Wanga told the Nation that they expect the grassroots elections to run smoothly. She said there was expectation that most party members at the polling centres would deploy consensus in picking officials.
The party’s National Elections Coordinating Committee Chairperson Emily Awita announced that the party has conducted training and officially appointed the county elections committees for all the 47 counties. She explained that only polling unit elections will be conducted in the first phase. The exercise will be held in all the gazetted polling stations.
Party members will elect a total of 30 officials—10 officials of the polling unit steering committee, polling unit women league (10) and polling unit youth league (10). Those seeking to run for the positions are required to pay Sh100.
The party said that it would suspend the ongoing membership registration yesterday to prepare the voter register.
Members eligible to vote and vie for positions will undergo electronic verification at their respective polling units, the party said.
“Party members are requested to avail themselves in their respective polling units/centres on Monday 25th November 2024 at 10am for the purpose of electing Presiding Officers, who will oversee the elections scheduled for 27 November 2024,” she said.
Party elections have in the past turned divisive and chaotic resulting in major fallouts, a scenario that has made many outfits in the country to avoid holding party elections.
