Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party has settled on former Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) Director General Pavel Oimeke to fly the party’s ticket in the Bonchari by-election set for May 18.
This is after a nomination exercise that saw senior party officials fail to reach a consensus with the two aspirants that had expressed interest in the seat.
Oimeke and Billy Momanyi, who made a failed attempt to clinch the seat in 2017, were all hoping to fly ODM’s ticket and had started campaigns.
ODM’s National Elections Board chairperson Catherine Muma said one other aspirant was ruled out after it emerged that he did not have a clean record as required of a party member.
According to Muma, the party took the consensus route to find its candidate and engaged the aspirants who failed to come to an agreement on the person to shelve his ambitions.
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“In our new rules, we try to reach a consensus. As NEB, we recommended that the party’s central committee decides the person to fly the party’s ticket,” said Muma.
The party’s Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said Oimeke, a newcomer in elective politics, will be the person to restore glory for the party which failed to clinch two parliamentary seats in the recent by-elections.
