ODM rejects Uhuru allies' push to withdraw from Bonchari poll

Raila Odinga has rejected a push by President Uhuru Kenyatta's allies to withdraw the ODM candidate in the Bonchari by-election and back Jubilee. 

A flurry of closed-door meetings, including one at Interior CS Fred Matiang'i's office on Wednesday, failed to hammer a deal on a handshake candidate for the May 19 poll. 

Jubilee and ODM have a working partnership and have supported each other in past by-elections but will contest against each other in Bonchari.

Following the stormy meeting at Matiang'i's Harambee House office, Raila summoned his close allies including some Kisii leaders to his Karen home. There, he declared that ODM will go all the way to the ballot.

Raila's decision was seen as a strategic political move to stamp the party's authority in Kisii region to ward off Deputy President William Ruto's UDA party from making significant inroads.

“We are in Bonchari to win the by-election. I want to see victory in Bonchari. I have my own information that our candidate is the strongest. Let us proceed,” Raila told his troops in Karen.

The Star learnt that the high-level Karen night briefing was a culmination of manoeuvres by Jubilee and ODM leaders to hatch a deal. 

The Harambee House meeting was attended by among others Matiang'i, Kisii Governor James Ongwae, Senator Sam Ongeri, Jubilee secretary general Raphael Tuju, Raila's brother Oburu Odinga and ODM Treasurer Timothy Bosire.

Interior and Coordination of National Government CAS Winnie Guchu also attended the two-hour meeting.

If a deal was struck, ODM would have withdrawn Parvel Oimeke in favour of Jubilee's Zebedeo Opore.

The by-election is set for May 18. The seat fell vacant following the death of MP John Oroo Oyioka in February.

Jubilee deputy secretary-general Joshua Kutuny on Thursday confirmed that talks to arrive at a joint candidate had collapsed.

The Cherangany MP said he did not attend Wednesday's meeting but was aware there was no breakthrough in the discussions.

“We have decided that, this far, let us allow all the candidates to battle it out at the ballot. When each feels they have the strongest candidate we don't need to struggle to convince them,” he told the Star on phone.

During the OP session, Raila's men clashed with Jubilee over the proposal after it emerged that the meeting was supposed to announce Opore as the handshake candidate for Bonchari.

To back up their case, Jubilee is said to have come up with results of two opinion polls allegedly conducted in Bonchari and which showed that Opore was leading at 27 per cent from 26 per cent.

According to poll results submitted to the team, and which were obtained exclusively by the Star, ODM's candidate was trailing with 14 per cent up from 4 per cent he polled in an initial survey.

The opinion polls which were reportedly conducted last month and early this month showed that Deputy President William Ruto's backed United Democratic Alliance candidate Teresa Bitutu had 26 per cent in the final poll up from 14 per cent.

The ODM team disputed the alleged scores of the three front-runners in the by-election, insisting that they had their own internal assessment that put Oimeke well ahead of his rivals.

Tuju is said to have outlined areas where Jubilee and ODM have partnered in the recent past including the by-election in Kiamokama ward in Kisii.

The Harambee House meeting is said to have turned stormy after some ODM leaders claimed they had been ambushed on the idea before they would do consultations with the party leader on the matter.

“We want to seek your indulgence that we go back for more consultations with the party leadership about this weighty matter,” Ongeri is said to have interjected during the meeting.

However, it was not clear if Oburu had any brief from Raila when he attended the meeting. He is said to have initially opened the session with some remarks backing a handshake candidate.

At his Karen home, Raila reiterated that ODM will not succumb to machinations by “political mercenaries” as the handshake was intact.

The Karen meeting went on till about 9pm, with Raila ordering his troops to face Jubilee like any other opponent in Bonchari.

Oimeke on Thursday said Raila called him on Wednesday night and asked him to ignore any rumours and proceed with campaigns.

“I am proceeding with campaigns as directed by the party and its leader. The victory is ours,” he told the Star.

Bosire admitted that he was part of the Harambee House meeting but refused to divulge any details of the meeting.

Instead, the former Kitutu Masaba MP maintained that ODM is the most popular party across Kisii and Nyamira counties. It will do whatever it takes to capture the Bonchari parliamentary seat.

“The President and Raila are reading from the same script. We will not be intimidated by the confusion from handlers. ODM is the most dominant party in Gusii and across the country. We will deliver Bonchari for ODM,” he said.

(edited by o. owino)