The party opted against Jalang’o and Omoke following the acrimonious and chaotic meeting last week where the two candidates went for each other’s neck during a consensus-building retreat.
ODM honchos are angry that Jalang’o stormed the meeting with rowdy and apparently drunk youth and threatened physical harm to the party officials.
On the other hand, ODM feels Omoke may be disqualified by IEBC if he is named the party ticket bearer.
Omoke is yet to settle an election petition debt he incurred when he challenged Nixon Korir’s 2017 election as Lang’ata MP.
Justice Lucy Njuguna upheld Korir’s election and ordered Omoke to pay Shs 5 million in costs. Omoke was to pay Shs 2.5 million to Korir and a similar amount to IEBC.
With Korir of UDA being a formidable opponent, ODM bigwigs are scratching their heads to come up with a serious and credible candidate to fly the party flag.
According to sources close to ODM, the party is likely to pick businessman Musaari Kahiga Syong’oh as the ODM candidate.
Musaari Syong’oh will be making his second attempt on the ODM- (Azimio la Umoja) ticket. He is a born and raised Lang’ata resident.
His parents were married while living in the greater Lang’ata constituency, had their three children in Lang’ata, enrolled them at the Lang’ata Junior Academy for kindergarten, and Karen ‘C’ Primary School for lower primary, before they joined the famous St. Mary’s School Nairobi, for upper primary and secondary school education. Musaari, his parents and brothers have lived in Lang’ata Constituency continuously for more than four decades, and the brothers are now raising third generation of Lang’ata urbanites.
Given this background, Kahiga Syong’oh would no doubt naturally empathise with and relate to challenges and opportunities of Lang’ata constituents, compared to the two outsider candidates, Nixon Korir the incumbent, and Mr. Felix Odiwuor, alias Jalang’o the comedian who does not reside or work in Lang’ata.
In his strategic plan for Lang’ata unveiled at the consensus building retreat, Kahiga Syong’oh promises to facilitate in conjunction with relevant authorities among other things,
• Safe spaces and capacity development for mechanics and garages;
• Capacity development and implementation of the affirmative action for women and youth to allow for participation in the tender system of the many government agencies domiciled in Lang’ata constituency;
• Facilitating registration of boda boda operators to comply with regulatory requirements to enhance road safety and security for the people of Lang’ata;
• His capacity development plan includes training programmes for small scale business groups to comply with regulatory requirements including county and tax obligations to enhance their participation in government business.
Syong’oh admittedly has a clear vision for Lang’ata which he says is achievable and a sure way to improve the livelihoods of the people of Lang’ata.
Source: kenyagist