Gem Central MCA Fred Ouda has won the messy rerun on Tuesday of ODM’s
Kisumu Central primary.
Ouda and two others had been declared winners of the first polls, also marred by confusion.
The repeat was ordered after the three top contenders were declared winners and each insisted he had won
They were Ouda, incumbent Ken Obura and former TNA secretary general Onyango Oloo.
On Tuesday, Obura lost the bid to defend his seat on an ODM ticket to Ouda during tension at the Goan Institute, the constituency tallying centre. There were claims that some ballot boxes were missing.
Police fired in the air to disperse crowds.
Former TNA secretary General Oloo garnered 4,991 votes as Ouda got 6,694. Obura garnered 1,040 votes, whereas competitors Richard Ogendo and former Kisumu mayor Sam Okello got 879 and 571, respectively. These were results declared from 36 out of 45 polling stations by returning officer Samson Odoyo.
Odoyo said the “presiding officers abandoned the ballot boxes at the tallying centre and disappeared,” hence, the results from nine polling stations were not included in the final tally.
During the voting on Tuesday, claims of rigging marred the process, coupled with low voter turnout and delays.
A spot check at most of the polling stations revealed short queues of less than 30 people. A number of voters said their names were neither in the ODM register nor in that of the IEBC.
Oloo’s wife was removed from a polling station on claims she was serving as an agent for her husband.
Justice Francis Tuiyot overturned the decision ordering the ODM National Elections Board to issue Obura with the party certificate.
