NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 28 — The Orange Democratic Movement has commenced the issuance of regret letters to aspirants eyeing the party’s ticket ahead of the August 9 General Election after its electoral board resolved to hand direct tickets.
In areas where ticket had attracted more than one eligible candidate and the party had issued a direct ticket, the National Election Board has promised to refund the nomination fees to the unsuccessful contenders.
The letters emerged days after Chungwa House released a schedule on party primaries set to run from April 1 to April 22 using the universal suffrage method.
Garissa Governor Ali Korane who sought to defend his seat on an ODM party ticket is among aspirants the party has denied a chance to seek the ticket through a competitive nomination process. Instead, the party issued a direct ticket to his competitor Nathif Jama.
“I wish to inform you that the party received other applications for the same position and upon consultations, reviews and polling, resolved it shall not be conducting a competitive nomination for the position of candidate for Governor of the county of Garissa,” read the letter signed by ODM NEB Chairperson Catherine Mumma.
In the letter seen by Capital FM, Mumma noted that the issuance of the direct ticket was in accordance with rules 8 and 23 of the party’s primary and nomination rules of 2021.
“In accordance with rule 23 (6) of the party primaries and nomination rules,the party has commenced the processing of Ksh 500,000 being a refund of the nomination fees that you paid in support of your application,” Mumma stated.
In his tour in Western Kenya, the party leader Raila Odinga issued direct tickets to different contenders for the gubernatorial and parliamentary seats in Kakamega county ruling out party primaries.
The party has already issued direct tickets to former Ketraco boss Fernandes Barasa (Kakamega) and former Agriculture Principal Secretary Hamadi Boga (Kwale).
In his Kakamega tour of the western region, Odinga issued direct tickets to Tindi Mwale (Butere), Titus Khamala (Lurambi), Peter Nabulindo (Matungu), Christopher Aseka (Khwisero) and Majority Whip Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo).
The Odinga-led party had indicated secret ballot would be deployed as the last nomination option while trying to arrive at candidates who will fly the flag of the political outfit in the different elective seats.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said the party will use opinion polls to identify strong candidates with secret ballot and party primaries being used as a last resort mechanism where dialogue fails.
“Opinion polls all over the years has been one of the ways in gauging popularity and it will be there among other factors. Opinion poll to test the strength of candidates will not be something new,”Abdulahi Guliye, the National Election Board Secretary stated.
