Bonchari Member of Parliament Pavel Oimeke has announced that he will be exiting active politics at the end of his term after serving for only 15 months.
Oimeke, who was in 2021 accused of demanding a KSh 200,000 bribe to re-open a petrol station that had been shut down for tax evasion said he won’t seek re-election in the August 9, General Election.
The legislator who won the Bonchari parliamentary seat in the May 2021 by-election missed the ODM ticket to defend his seat in this year’s polls in the just-ended party primaries across the country.
“I heartily thank Abanchari for giving me a chance to serve you. After further consultations with family, friends, and my supporters, I have decided that I will not be defending my seat in the 9th August 2022 General Election,” Oimeke said in a statement posted on his Twitter.
His announcement comes just days after the lawmaker criticized the Orange party for denying him a ticket to defend his seat in the August election.
“Sad day for the people of Abanchari and the Gusii Nation at large. Today we’ve witnessed democracy on trial yet again as the ODM party denied me, the people’s choice the ODM ticket to defend my seat courtesy of Simba Arati and Onyonka,” he said.
However, after consultations, the legislator said he will not try his luck again signaling that he might be among the shortest-serving MPs in Kenyan history.
In a previous statement posted on his Twitter handle, Oimeke, who resigned from Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) in March 2021 to focus on politics, had assured his supporters that he will be on the ballot to defend his seat as an independent candidate.
“After further consultations with Abanchari, I will be defending my seat as an independent candidate. The people of Bonchari are Supreme and we will not allow some people to impose leaders on us. Tukutane kwa debe (Let us meet at the ballot),” he said in a statement.
