Trade Assistant Minister Omingo Magara’s former campaign committee chairman has disowned him, claiming he did not win the South Mugirango seat fairly.

Mr Richard Omaera stunned the court when he claimed the poll was manipulated to favour Mr Magara.

Taking the witness box on the second day of the petition filed by Mr Manson Oyongo Nyamweya, Omaera claimed he was touched by God’s hand and decided to expose what transpired in the 2007 polls.

"I have received God and seen the light. That is why I decided to denounce my dark past," Omaera said during a two-hour cross-examination by Mr Katwa Kigen for Magara.

Kigen has asked him why he had suddenly turned against the MP he devotedly campaigned for.

Omaera denied he turned against Magara after he failed to appoint him chairman of the South Mugirango CDF committee.

Poll misdeeds

He claimed what he detested was his misdeeds during elections, which saw him win the seat unfairly.

Omaera, who was led in his evidence by lawyers Ombati Omwanza and Otiso Onchari for the petitioner, told the court how Magara canvassed for the recruitment of voter registration and polling clerks, who were his supporters.

He talked of two meetings attended by former Gucha District Elections Co-ordinator Astariko Atika and Magara, where it was agreed those friendly to the MP be appointed as presiding officers, deputies and clerks.

Omaera produced in court minutes of the meetings, which Kigen rejected saying they were written for the purpose of the petition.

Omaera, who was in charge of Magara’s campaigns in Motende Nyansakia ward, said he personally delivered 17 names of proposed officers to conduct the elections to an ECK official. Some of them, he said, got the jobs.

Earlier, trial judge Justice Daniel Musinga dismissed an application by Interim Independent Electoral Commission’s lawyer Ibrahim Onyinkwa to disqualify Nyamweya’s lawyer Ombati Omwanza since he had represented the defunct ECK in Bomachoge.

Onyinkwa said the IIEC would be prejudiced if Omwanza continued to represent Nyamweya.

But Otiso, representing Omwanza, said the application was made belatedly and was meant to delay the hearing. Hearing continues.