VIA PHIL WESONGA IS MAMA IDA INTENT ON IMPOSING FIDEL ODINGA ON KIBRA VOTERS? Pundits will not have failed to notice the furore arising out of social media talk that the lanky Fidel Odinga shall be making his political debut in Kibra Constituency in the forthcoming general elections. Opinion has been sharply divided but that is not the gist of this post. This post is focused on interrogating the effects of imposition of Fidel Odinga on the people of Kibra. It is now emerging that Mama Ida’s hidden hand is the force behind the puppet Fidel Odinga, whose intention to run in Kibra was conveniently announced when Rt. Hon. Odinga is out of the country. Further probe at Orange House where the ODM secretariat is based reveal that orders have been received from Mama Ida to reserve the party’s nomination certificate for Fidel Odinga. The information has spread so much so at Cedars Bar along Lenana Road, a tipsy Fidel could not help but confide in his drinking mates that the nomination certificate is already in his safe custody and anyone vying for Kibra seat is wasting their time! ODM nation remembers with deep regret how in previous elections, internal machinations and interference of the party primaries ultimately contributed to voter apathy in the party’s traditional strongholds giving rise to an unprecedented loss a number of seats to FORD-K candidates. Moreover, the same shenanigans severely impacted on the national presidential vote tally which was ultimately determined by a slim margin. Add this to the huge fall out after the Orange Women Democrats League elections in 2012 at which Mama Ida was accused of working behind the scenes to sideline some ODM leaders, and a clear picture emerges of a matriarch who is more of a liability than an asset. Her own lobby group Sibanduki was formed to counter official party campaign groups. This time around the voters and ODM members are leaving nothing to chance and it is likely that Mama Ida will be facing very strong resistance from local leaders and party members from Kibra should it turn out that Fidel’s bar talk is in fact the truth. For the first time since 1992 when Raila Odinga was elected to parliament as MP for Langata, there is simmering rebellion building up among his traditional support base about the Fidel rumour and already the discussion dominating social places is that of looking for credible alternatives to ODM should the party’s ticket be handed to anyone without transparent and democratic party elections. Having stayed loyal to Raila Odinga for more than two decades, voter in Kibra a left wondering if Fidel’s candidature is the appreciating they are being given. Sources in Kibra say Mama Ida is partly being blamed for the party’s loss of majority in parliament due to persistent interference with party nominations by imposing unpopular candidates. One source that wishes to remain anonymous intimated that the highly effective ODM reloaded lobby group comprising of young MPs was killed by individuals sent by Mama Ida who were alarmed at the popularity of the group in national politics. Another source puts the defection of Rachel Shebesh and others squarely on the feet of Mama Ida. Additionally, the thawing of firebrand ODM MPs like Millie Mabona and nominated Elizabeth Ongoro is said to be the result of Mama Ida planting candidates in their constituencies to undermine them. It is against this background, that Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero has been ropped into an unworkable succession plot that involves bringing in Fidel Odinga and others into national limelight so that some people can gain a footing in the post-Raila era. Last month, Fidel escorted the unpopular Kidero when he went to lay some foundation stones in Kibra’s Olympic Primary School, when they locked themselves within the school compound for fear of a backlash at which time Fidel sheepishly announced the interest to view for the Kibra seat to a sparse audience. Interestingly, it is not the first time t
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 12:32:11 +0000
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