Teso South MP Geoffrey Omuse will not defend his seat on the ODM party ticket in 2022.
The MP said on Monday he will seek re-election on a different party ticket. He, however, did not disclose which party he will be decamping to.
The lawmaker said he has notified ODM leader Raila Odinga about his decision to quit the party.
“I have spoken to our party leader Raila Odinga. I told him vying for an MP seat outside ODM is democracy. I told him I am leaving the party, but I will be in Parliament after the 2022 elections,” Omuse said.
He said Kenya has over 100 registered political parties and will therefore decide which party to use to defend his seat.
“There are many political parties in Kenya. In fact, they are in the hundreds. My only message to the residents of Teso South is that I will be on the ballot in 2022 but not as an ODM candidate," Omuse said.
His decision to quit ODM is expected to pave the way for a three-horse race in Teso South as he is likely to face Governor Sospeter Ojaamong and former Teso South MP Mary Emase in the parliamentary elections.
The three are currently the only ones who have expressed interest in the Teso South parliamentary seat.
“I have decided to leave ODM. It is not that I fear my brother Ojaamong, but I have said let him remain in ODM. I will be defending my seat, but not on the ODM party ticket,” Omuse said.
"Let Ojaamong get the ODM party certificate as Emase receives the UDA certificate. Let them meet me in the campaign field. I can assure you I will defeat both Ojaamong and Emase.”
He spoke in Kidera, where he met Catholic faithful.
Eighteen months ago, the MP had promised to stick to ODM after being linked to Deputy President William Ruto’s Tangatanga faction.
The lawmaker, while speaking at Lwanya Catholic Church on February 28, 2020 during Raila’s tour of Busia county, said allegations that he had joined the DP’s Tangatanga associates were false.
He assured Raila that he would stick to ODM as long as he is in active politics.
Omuse has been urging Ojaamong to abandon local politics and focus on politics at a higher level after his tenure as governor expires next year.
“You have been an MP for 10 years and now you are serving as governor for 10 years. What is this that you have not done in 20 years that you want to do in five years as an MP?” Omuse asked Ojaamong in early August.
“It is high time that leaders who have been in this political game for long retire to allow others to serve.”
The MP also claimed that Ojaamong has little to show for the billions of shillings Busia has received from the National Treasury since he became governor.
“The annual budget for Busia county is Sh10 billion. In simple mathematics, for the last nine years that translates to Sh90 billion. By the time Ojaaamong will be completing his 10th year as governor, Busia would have received Sh100 billion,” Omuse said.
“My CDF kitty is only Sh100 million per year, when the budget for the office of the governor alone is Sh300 million. Ojaamong cannot start telling us that it has become hard for him to budget the Sh100 billion such that he wants to become MP to manage Sh100 million."
But Ojaamong on August 15 responded to Omuse, saying he was not in any way interfering with the MP's work plan, as the lawmaker alleged.
He said Omuse should not panic since the time for real politics had not come.
Edited by A.N
