ODM hands governor Lenku direct nomination ticket

ODM top officials confirmed on Tuesday gave Kajiado governor Joseph Ole Lenku a direct ticket to defend his seat in the August 9, polls.

The officials also said they will not allow zoning for Azimio affiliate parties in Kajiado and will field candidates in all available positions.

Chairman John Mbadi, Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, Director of Political Affairs, and Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi, said Azimio la Umoja parties had a right to field candidates so that they help mobilise maximum votes for presidential candidate Raila Odinga.

They said Azimio la Umoja is a huge movement and each partner has a place within the unit.

They dismissed calls by some Jubilee party officials that some counties will be zoned off.

Speaking at Maili 46 in the Iloodokilani area of Kajiado West, Mbadi and Sifuna claimed they were relaying a message from their party leader Raila Odinga and a "confirmation” that they had issued Kajiado’s ODM gubernatorial ticket to Governor Joseph Ole Lenku.

"Receive greetings from Baba. Thank you for supporting him previously. I have seen you are ready to support him yet again. We shall walk together," said Mbadi at the home of politician Tarayia ole Kores.

Sifuna said consensus talks with ODM aspirants in the county were underway and the party will agree on who will run for which position, adding that Lenku was issued with a direct ticket because there was no other candidate in the party seeking the nomination.

"We are 60 per cent done. Talks are within our party, and not with our partners on where to field or not. It is a foregone conclusion that we shall have ODM candidates in all the positions in Kajiado county," said Sifuna.

The party officials revealed they had only finalised the position of the governor and senator candidate, Judith Pareno.

Speaking during the same function, Lenku allayed fears from his supporters that Azimio will negotiate to have one candidate for the governorship.

Already Jubilee has only one candidate, who is the former governor David Nkedianye, while UDA is waiting to pick its candidate on April 14.

"We have moved on and we have decided this time, we shall use the ODM party. We support Raila and President Uhuru Kenyatta in securing the future of this country," said Lenku.