Cord leader leader Raila Odinga’s ODM party plans to clean up its nominations act.The party dogged by chaotic nominations of dubious fairness aims to hold major nominations in its strongholds six months before the general election on August 8, 2017.
This means the party would pick candidates for governors, MCAs, MPs and senators in February, on different dates on ODM turf.
There will be no direct nominations, no tickets handed to friends or disgruntled defectors. ODM pledges to abide by opinion-popularity polls and members’ votes before naming candidates to ensure grassroots support.
Previously nominations were all held on the same day. They were typically disrupted, marked by violence and claims of rigging. This was partly due to lack of capacity in the absence of the electoral agency to supervise.
These shambolic nominations cost Raila presidential votes and forced popular candidates to ditch ODM and win on other tickets.
The nominations reform is part of the sweeping strategic plan for 2016-18 that includes numerous structural reforms.
The Orange party has also reorganized directorates at the national secretariat, increasing them from seven to 11. Other reforms are in the offing.
The party is part of Cord Coalition, alongside former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Democratic Movement and Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya.
If approved and implemented, the plan will mark a sea change in ODM nominations, in the past a protracted process approaching the election date itself.
In the past, the general thinking had been to accommodate as many disgruntled elements from rival parties as possible who may have been rigged out of their own party tickets.
The party will commission opinion polls in each area, then hold mini-polls in which party members vote. The ticket goes to the most popular person.
The second batch of nominations will be held three months before the election in areas where the party is neither too strong nor too weak.
Here the party will vet all candidates, conduct opinion polls and put the candidate sup to a vote. The most popular gets the nomination.
Raila has told ODM leaders they must ensure nominations are free, fair, transparent and peaceful. Only the most popular candidates are to get tickets.
ODM CEO Oduor Ong’wen says changes in party structures and processes have been underway since last year, aimed at ensuring ODM remains the party determined to adhere to the law, its election rules and procedures.
“We have concluded development of the strategic plan that offers new architecture to carry out our mandate as a party. If adopted and implemented, it will put us in good standing to favourably compete,” Ong’wen told the Star yesterday.