The Orange Democratic Movement’s nomination exercise in Kasipul Constituency has spilled into a legal showdown, with aspirant Newton Onyango Ogada moving to the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal to challenge the outcome. Ogada wants the nomination annulled and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission barred from gazetting his rival as ODM’s candidate in the upcoming November by-election.
In his application filed under a certificate of urgency, Ogada paints a chaotic picture of the nomination exercise held on September 24. He alleges that the process was riddled with violence, fraud, and irregularities that robbed him of a fair contest. According to his affidavit, a gang of armed youth linked to his opponent stormed Beril Medical Centre where he and his team had retreated, smashing windows, vandalizing vehicles, and destroying medical equipment. He claims he was barricaded inside for over two hours, unable to reach his agents or monitor the polling exercise.
Ogada further alleges that the election was conducted without a proper membership register, opening the door for multiple voting, underage children casting ballots, and itinerant voters moving from one station to another. He insists that presiding officers used national identity cards instead of party registers to identify voters, a move that allowed non-members to participate. He also accuses election officials of open bias, saying complaints from his camp were ignored and in some cases his agents were expelled from polling stations.
The petition also raises questions about poor management of the exercise, citing late delivery of ballot materials, early closure of polling despite the delays, and unexplained relocation of some stations without prior notice. Ogada claims tally sheets were inconsistently filled and in some places results were merely announced verbally, undermining transparency.
Although he initially appealed to ODM’s internal tribunal on September 25, the case was dismissed four days later. Dissatisfied with that outcome, he has now turned to the PPDT, which has directed that the dispute be heard on Monday.
The outcome of the case is expected to determine not just who flies the ODM flag in Kasipul, but also test the party’s ability to deliver credible and peaceful primaries ahead of the November by-election.
