Harold Kipchumba’s nomination to replace John Mbadi in the National Assembly has turned sour after the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party rejected the move and demanded that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) revoke it.
The party insists that Kipchumba’s name was wrongly gazetted and wants IEBC to nominate John Ketora instead.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has written to IEBC Chair Erastus Ethekon saying that Kipchumba, who was nominated under the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) category, cannot replace Mbadi who held the seat under the workers’ category.
According to ODM, the law requires that a nominee can only be replaced by someone from the same category and in the same order as submitted in the 2022 party list.
Sifuna cited Article 90 and Article 97 (1)(c) of the Constitution and Section 37 (1) of the Elections Act to support the party’s argument. He said the next person in line on ODM’s party list for the workers’ category is John Ketora, a youthful party loyalist, and not Kipchumba.
The party’s move comes just days after IEBC announced changes in a special Gazette Notice dated July 22, which showed ten special seats had been reallocated to fill gaps left by resignations and deaths. Ethekon said the reshuffling also corrected earlier inconsistencies in party lists.
While Kipchumba’s nomination was seen by some as a win for PWD representation, ODM youth leaders have protested, saying it’s a loss for the party’s youth wing.
They had been pushing for Ketora, the ODM Youth League President, to get the chance. Through the demand letter, ODM now wants IEBC to act quickly and correct what it calls a clear mistake.
By Nairobi