With a few days remaining to the party primaries, Raila Odinga’s party has already begun issuing direct tickets to some areas.
Kivumbico.co.ke has learned that the party is employing a combination of methods, including opinion polls ratings and consensus to arrive at the most popular candidate for the ticket.
Speaking to The Star Newspaper, ODM National Chairman John Mbadi said that the party is giving consensus a priority in the identification of candidates in any particular electoral area.
“We have always said there will be a direct ticket. It will be done on an individual basis. There are those discussions going on. The moment the discussions are concluded those tickets will be issued,” Mbadi told The Star.
So far, the party has issued direct tickets to three gubernatorial candidates, namely Fernandes Barasa (Kakamega), former Agriculture Principal Secretary Hamadi Boga (Kwale), and Nathif Jamah (Garissa).
While on a campaign trail of Kakamega County, the ODM leader announced that the party will not subject MPs who recently defected to the party to a nomination process.
Consequently, Tindi Mwale (Butere), Titus Khamala (Lurambi), Peter Nabulindo (Matungu), Christopher Aseka (Khwisero), and Majority Whip Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo) were all given direct tickets to defend their seats on an ODM party ticket.
In areas where the party has resorted to issuing direct tickets, it is refunding nominations fees to those who had already paid.
According to the NEB schedule, the ODM primaries are set to commence on April 1, in the counties of Nakuru and Turkana.
Followed by Narok and Kajiado (April 2) Kilifi and Tana River (April 4), Taita Taveta and Kwale (April 5), Mombasa (April 6), Kisii and Nyamira (April 7), Vihiga, Busia (April 12), Kisumu (April 13), Siaya (April 14), Bungoma and Trans Nzoia (April 15), Migori (April 16), Homa Bay (April 18) and Kakamega (April 19).
