Former Kasipul MP Oyugi Magwanga has said he never left ODM and he is a life member.
He said he remits his monthly contributions to the party.
“Who said I left the party? I’m a life member of ODM and the Homa Bay branch secretary,” Magwanga said on Saturday.
Kasipul ODM leaders had yesterday said they are ready to welcome back Magwanga to the party.
But the former MP said he never left the party.
He ran for the Homa Bay governor’s seat in 2017 as an independent candidate, claiming that he was shortchanged during the party primaries in the run-up to the General Election when Governor Cyprian Awiti was given direct nomination.
The ODM officials, led by branch chairman Blastas Nyonyango, said they are also ready to welcome back other leaders who might have felt offended during the party primaries ahead of the 2017 polls.
“We want to strengthen the party ahead of the 2022 General Election,” he said. The High Court in Homa Bay nullified Awiti’s election in a petition filed by Magwanga. But the governor moved to the Court of Appeal, which upheld the lower court’s ruling
Awiti then moved to the Supreme Court, which upheld Awiti’s win.
come let’s unite
Last month, Awiti urged Magwanga to help him to shape up the county, saying that the protracted court battle had stagnated development for more than one and half years.
The governor said there was no time to waste now that the case was behind them. “We want to recover the lost time to ensure Homa Bay residents get what they deserve. People have complained that we are slow in development,” he said.
The county government has been described as moribund in services, accused of corruption and still faces court cases among its officials.
Awiti said he holds no grudge against Magwanga and his other opponents and that he is ready to work with everyone to make a difference in six months.
“The court case which deprived Homa Bay of the much-needed development is now behind us. We must dedicate all our efforts to the realisation of the growth agenda as expected by residents,” he said.
Awiti said his administration is focused on service delivery.
Some of the projects in the pipeline are the construction of Homa Bay town market, water supply, roads and improvement of agriculture.
