Oburu: We are not shaken by Ol-Kalou loss

 Wycliffe Oparanya, ODM Leader Oburu Oginga, and CS Soipan Tuya at the groundbreaking of the Raila Odinga Mausoleum at Kanga Ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya County.  [Emmanuel Wanson, Standard]

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party leader Oburu Oginga has maintained that the broad-based Government is still a formidable force to reckon with despite the Ol-Kalou by-election loss.

Speaking in Siaya County on Monday, Oburu dismissed the defeat of United Democratic Alliance UDA candidate Samuel Muchina by Sammy Ngotho of the Democracy for the Citizens Party DCP as just concluded by-election as a small bump on the road. He mentioned that the UDA-ODM coalition had won all the previous 8 Parliamentary and one senatorial by-elections before Ol-Kalou.

"What we know is that small hiccups like the election in Ol-Kalou do not shake us. We had won nine elections ourselves." He spoke.

Oburu urged the opposition to tone down what he termed the opposition party's overexcitement over winning its first parliamentary seat. The Siaya senator said that the ship is still steady under the stewardship of President William Ruto.

According to him, in comparison to the United Alternative Government, they are already a step ahead because they have a settled Presidential candidate.

"Those people are still wandering around on who is going to be the leader. For us, we have already decided. We are just negotiating to get one strong manifesto where both UDA and ODM policies are incorporated." Oburu added.

ODM Leader Oburu Oginga, CS Soipan Tuya and Wycliffe Oparanya at the groundbreaking of Raila Odinga Mausoleum at Kanga Ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya County.  [Emmanuel Wanson, Standard]

Plans for formalising the coalition agreements are in place. "We are hoping that as we move closer to next year, we shall have formed a strong coalition that will fight the others," he added.

Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya hailed the IEBC for the manner in which they conducted the by-election, saying that they have conducted free, fair and credible by-elections.

"I'm happy that we are at a point where the IEBC has proven itself to be an institution of integrity against what other people would want to say that the Government was going to interfere with one election or the other," Soipan said.

She also congratulated ODM for bringing stability to the country since joining the Kenya Kwanza administration, as she asked the opposition to provide their alternative agenda.

"The unity of purpose that the ODM party has brought to the broad-based Government will for sure lead us to a more united and stronger Kenya."

The leaders spoke at the groundbreaking of the Raila Odinga mausoleum at Kang'o Ka Jaramogi.