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ODM Asked to Give Magara Direct Ticket

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Published on Friday, 05 February 2010 03:04

A Cabinet minister has asked his party to give a former MP a direct ticket for the pending by-election in South Mugirango.

"It will be unfair to subject Mr Omingo Magara to a contest when he is a senior official of the Orange Democratic Movement party," said Tourism minister Najib Balala.

Mr Balala is the senior-most ODM official to come out publicly in support of Mr Magara, who lost his seat last December when an election court nullified his election.

Mr Balala was speaking at the residence of the Sri Lankan High Commissioner during the country's national day celebrations. The party is facing an acid test in the by-election in the wake of wrangles pitting supporters of Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Agriculture Minister William Ruto.

Party supporters are split on whether Mr Magara should get a direct nomination. But speaking at a rally in Homa Bay two weeks ago, the former Trade assistant minister declared that he was ready to face his rivals in the nomination.

Mr Magara, who was considered an ally of Mr Ruto, made a surprise appearance at the Nyanza leaders' meeting and rally convened by Mr Odinga.

"Mr Magara should be given direct nomination by ODM because the problem was at the Electoral Commission level, not at the party," Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny, an ally of Mr Ruto, is on record as saying. He claimed that senior ODM officials allied to Mr Odinga were plotting to ensure that the former MP was not nominated.

But the Prime Minister's allies, led by Kisumu Town West MP Olago Aluoch, have warned the Ruto faction against imposing a candidate on the electorate.

He insisted that Mr Magara should be subjected to the nomination process so that the party can pick the most popular candidate.

ODM director of elections Philip Okundi maintained that the party would follow its constitution and the wishes of the people of South Mugirango in deciding whether to hold a nomination contest or grant Mr Magara a direct ticket.