In a phone interview Etale later said the warehouse where the voting material was stored was “stormed” by youth/COURTESY
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 25 — The Orange Democratic Movement’s National Elections Board on Tuesday called off its primaries in Nairobi that were set for Tuesday.
In a statement, the party’s Director of Communications Philip Etale said the board had taken the decision to call off the county’s primaries due to “unavoidable circumstances” without going into much detail.
But in a later phone interview, he explained that the party was forced to call off the exercise in Nairobi as rowdy youths had stormed the warehouse where the voting materials were stored and predicting that the exercise would be conducted towards the end of the week.
“There are some youth who stormed the warehouse where the electoral materials had been stored in readiness for distribution to various polling stations within the County of Nairobi. And they came in their hundreds and they were shouting and they were saying the process would not be free and fair. So they blocked all the vehicles that were leaving the warehouse with the material and demanded that the exercise should be called off until such a day as all the aspirants have been brought on board, briefed on the exercise. This is very unfortunate as the NEB had put in place everything to ensure that the exercise takes off and in peace.”
The news did not however go down will with those who had camped at polling stations in readiness for the vote.
“We want Raila Amolo Odinga to tell us what is not happening with Nairobi,” one such supporter told reporters observing that, “even Jubilee keeps postponing its exercise here.”
Etale however called on party supporters to remain calm promising that a new date would be communicated, “later in the day.”
The development comes a day after the High Court in Malindi from April 26 to Monday next week.
An extension ODM has denied any involvement in securing, “As ODM we are not the force behind the desperation by an NGO to petition the court to extend timelines of conducting party primaries.
“In our view, the extension is meant to assist Jubilee regime & Jubilee Party buy time to conduct its nominations, now a chaotic affair!”
The ODM primaries in Nairobi are limited to the elective positions of National Assembly representatives and Members of the County Assembly given direct nominations were given to Evans Kidero for the position of Governor and Nyalhodia for Senator.
The Jubilee Party is scheduled to hold its primaries in Nairobi tomorrow.
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