KISUMU, Kenya Mar 17 – Parvel Oimeke, the former Director-General of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), is the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party candidate in the Bonchari by-election.
Oimeke resigned last week from EPRA amid an ongoing corruption case in court in which he is charged with obtaining a Sh200,000 bribe from a fuel station owner. He is out on bond.
On Wednesday, ODM party Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna said they had settled on Oimeke who will be issued with a certificate in the race to succeed Oroo Oyioka who died last month.
Sifuna said the party’s has numerous methods to pick a candidate and they had agreed on consensus.
“The party chose this method in the middle of other options that include carrying out party primaries,” said Sifuna. He called upon the other candidates to support the party’s choice.
Sifuna has exuded confidence that unlike in the Matungu by-election where the party lost, they are all out to ensure they win in the coming polls.
He said the Matungu by-election which was marred by irregularities should not be used as a yardstick to determine whether ODM will win or lose.
“What happened in Matungu was pure electoral theft, we can’t use it to say ODM party lost,” he added.
The party’s National Election Board (NEB) chair Catherine Muma said three candidates applied for the party’s ticket, namely John Momanyi, David Oyugi Ogega and Oimeke.
However, Muma said the party dropped Ogega since he was not dully registered as a member of the party.
“We had to drop Ogega because he was an ODM member but contested in the last election on an independent ticket, however, he failed to validate his membership thereafter,” said Muma.
The party then ventured in building a consensus to get the best candidate.
Attempts to have the two candidates to reach a consensus, plus mediated consensus failed.
NEB then opted to have the Central Committee pick a candidate and they arrived on Oimeke who is facing a graft case.
“We took this decision because we couldn’t get a candidate even after locking the two in a room to agree between themselves, none wanted to drop for the other,” she said.
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