FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The campaigns, the voting and the declaration of results in yesterday’s by elections for various National Assembly constituency and county assemblies wards have been concluded.
We congratulate Hon. Malach Matara Mainya, our candidate for Kiamokama Ward in Kisii County, on his resounding victory in the face of serious onslaught by our worthy opponents.
We also celebrate our candidate in Matungu Constituency of Kakamega County, Hon. David Were. Even though the result is not exactly what we had aimed for, coming a very strong second with close to 11,000 votes against
14,000 combined efforts of ANC, FORD Kenya, KANU and Wiper parties confirms that ODM remains the Party to beat nationally. The local campaign team led by our Deputy Party Leader, Governor Wycliffe A. Oparanya, did us proud.
Mr. Andrew Sure, our candidate in Huruma Ward, Turbo Constituency in Uasin Gishu, deserves recognition for a strong showing, finishing a respectable third in a crowded field of 13 candidates – in the constituency of domicile of the nation’s Deputy President.
We also congratulate other winners in other constituencies and wards where the by elections were held.
Finally going forward, we have to choose as a nation whether electoral contests are to be settled through violence or vote – bullet or ballot. The degree of violence and intimidation visited upon hapless women and aged voters during yesterday’s voting portends a very bleak future for our electoral democracy.
This must not only be harshly condemned but calls for the State, IEBC and political parties to introspect, rethink our democratic tenets, and retool. The law of the jungle should have no place in the choice of leadership in civilized polities.
Dated in Mumias this 5th March 2021.
Oduor Ong’wen, EBS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ODM
