Losing MPs plot to shoot down Judith Pareno’s nomination to EALA

ODM National Elections board Chair Judith Pareno. (Photo: Jenipher Wachie, Standard)

A section of Orange Democratic Movement lawmakers who lost in the nominations are plotting a revenge against the parties election board chairperson.

The MPs, furious after losing the primaries, have vowed to shoot down the nomination of election board chairperson Judith Pareno to the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA).

They accuse her of presiding over their downfall in the primaries.

The lawmakers, led by Deputy Minority Leader Jakoyo Midiwo, resisted attempts by their party to whip all members into voting for Pareno, arguing that she had mismanaged the party nominations and denied them party tickets.

The coalition had in a clever move tied the hands of its MPs into voting for Pareno by presenting only four names, which is the total number of slots allocated to the coalition under the law.

Other names forwarded by the Opposition were Kennedy Kilonzo,  National Super Alliance’s co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka’s son, Abubakar Zein and Ronald Ngeny.

But Deputy Minority Leader Jakoyo Midiwo, who lost his Gem constituency ticket, accused elements in his ODM party of “sitting in hotel rooms and coming up with names”.

“If we allow somebody to sit in a hotel room and come up with the names and then ask the National Assembly to rubber-stamp, then you would have killed democracy. If you are a person who can commit crimes against some of us and we are made to look like losers, then it is wrong,” said Mr Midiwo.

Adding to the intrigues were reports that Ford-Kenya, one of NASA’s affiliate parties, is demanding a slot in the list of Opposition nominees.

The nominees were presented to the clerks of the two Houses of Parliament by respective leaders of the two parliamentary coalitions.

Jubilee Party, through Majority Leader Aden Duale, presented 15 names out of which the House will vote for five, its rightful share to the regional assembly.

The House will vote on the names in two weeks’ time.

Mr Duale expressed reservations on the nomination of Kalonzo’s son, arguing that the former Vice-President was using his position to promote his relatives.

“I have nothing against Kalonzo’s son. I speak for Kenyans. You cannot use your position in a party to nominate your relatives. It is a conflict of interest. We will make sure that he does not sail through,” said Mr Duale.

Duale also took issue with inclusion of independent candidates in the battle for the regional seats.

“The law is very clear that members of EALA who represent our country will be nominated from the political parties in the partner states,” he said.

House Speaker Justin Muturi however declined to make a ruling on whether the Opposition should bring more names on grounds that he was yet to receive the list of its nominees.

He however said members reserve the right to either approve or reject any of the nominees.

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