ODM youth chair says electoral reforms should be done through the legal channel
Monday’s anti-IEBC protest in Kakamega exposed widening differences between coalition partners ODM and Ford Kenya. The absence of Kakamega ODM officials during the protests confirmed the frosty relationship.
The ODM officials are Deputy Governor Philip Kutima (chairman), Butere MP Andrew Toboso (secretary) and Vincent Mukhono (treasurer). Not even ODM MPs participated.
Only Matungu ODM branch chairman Paul Posho was present in Kakamega’s first anti-IEBC protest.
On Wednesday last week, Cord leader Raila Odinga visited Kakamega to meet key supporters and expressed displeasure that the county had not participated in the demonstrations, despite Governor Wycliffe Oparanya being his deputy in ODM. Oparanya, who has been in Indonesia for one week, returned on Monday evening.
Further evidence of the cracks was the counter-protest led by ODM national league chairman Rashid Mohammed, Mahiakalo MCA Cleophas Malala (ODM) and Kakamega businessman Cleophas Shimanyula. Mohammed said he is not opposed to IEBC reforms, but to the misuse of youths by politicians. “Electoral reforms should be done before the next elections, but through the legal route,” he said.
Sources close to Oparanya told the Star he is of the opinion that the demonstrations are irrelevant as the IEBC commissioners Cord wants replaced are based in Nairobi.
(+) Khalwale held and charged
Senator Boni Khalwale led the Kakamega anti-IEBC protest on Monday. He and his aide were arrested and charged . They were released on Sh100,000 personal bond each. Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula termed the arrest “a plot targeting to silence the opposition leaders and intimidate them to stop the ejection of IEBC commissioners”.