allAfrica.com: Kenya: Protests As Winners Are Replaced (Page 1 of 2)

There were protests from aspirants in the three main political parties over what they said was substitution of the winners with favoured losers.

The cries were loudest within President Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU), Mr Raila's Odinga ODM and Mr Kalonzo Musyoka's ODM-Kenya.

The wailing hit a crescendo when ODM released its list of 194 cleared parliamentary candidates, which included disputed candidates in some areas.

In the list presented to the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) last evening, the party is not fielding candidates in 16 constituencies in parts of Eastern and Central provinces. These are Kitui Central, Kitui South, Mbooni, Kaiti, Kinangop, Kipipiri, Tetu, Mukurweini, Mwea, Ndia, Kangema, Kiharu, Kigumo, Kandara, Lari and Gatanga. Claims of shortchanging among aspirants were most pronounced in Western, Rift Valley, Central and Nairobi provinces.

In Western, there was confusion in Hamisi Constituency where the returning officer had announced that the immediate former MP, Mr George Khaniri, had been trounced by newcomer Maurice Magomere.

But hardly 12 hours later, the ODM Elections Board is said to have overturned the decision and handed Khaniri the ticket, arguing that some votes had not been counted.

A similar situation played out in Emuhaya Constituency, where five aspirants had ganged up against the immediate former MP, Mr Kenneth Marende, who was declared the winner in nominations that were declared as flawed.

In Lugari, it had been announced that the immediate former MP, Dr Enock Kibunguchy, had been trounced by Mr Evans Musungu. But the ODM list last night had Kibunguchy as the party's candidate.

In Khwisero where publisher Mr Barrack Muluka had emerged the outright winner, his name last night was missing and had been replaced with that of his rival, Mr Evans Bulimo Akula.

In Butula, Mr Moses Mulomi who had been declared the winner at the constituency had his name missing in the final list. Instead, that of his rival, Mr Alfred Bwire Odhiambo, was in the ODM list.

And in Mathira, the immediate former MP, Mr Nderitu Gachagua, of PNU camped at the party's offices in Nairobi and demanded that he be given his certificate. Gachagua, who trounced wealthy contractor Mr Ephraim Maina, claimed there was a plot to shortchange him and hand the party ticket to Maina.

By last evening, Gachagua - accompanied by hundreds of his supporters - vowed not to leave the PNU secretariat until he received the certificate.

"Robbed" victory

And in Nairobi, youthful Makadara parliamentary aspirant, Dr Dan Shikanda, said he had openly been "robbed" victory by the ODM Elections Board after he trounced his sole opponent, immediate former MP, Mr Reuben Ndolo.

Shikanda, who arrived at the Orange House with hundreds of supporters to protest against the move, told The Standard he was shocked to learn that Ndolo had been declared the winner.

Shikanda said he garnered 2,279 votes against Ndolo's 1,972. Last night, Ndolo's name was slotted in the ODM list.

Another aspirant, Mr Habib Kongo, who was vying for the Kasarani seat on an ODM ticket described the elections as a "sham."

Kongo said the ODM election officials had informed them that due to the fracas in the area on voting day, there would be a repeat of the exercise in some wards.

"That is why I am here to appeal to the Elections Board because there was no voting in Kasarani," he added.

In Rift Valley, the situation was explosive with an aspirant for the Eldama Ravine seat, Mr Moses Lessonet, expressing fears that his victory was about to be overturned by a top party official.

Lessonet, who beat the immediate former MP, Mr Musa Sirma, by garnering 8,485 votes against Sirma's 8,162 said he had received credible information that a top party official was working behind the scenes to shortchange him in favour of Sirma. But last night, Lessonet was retained as the party's candidate.

Also at Orange House were supporters of the party's Embakasi aspirant, Mr Mugabe Were, who claimed their candidate had been robbed victory even after emerging victorious.

In Makueni, ODM-Kenya settled for former PC, Mr Peter Kiilu, after the party failed to conduct any elections among the 15 aspirants who had braced themselves for the contest.

It was, however, not clear on what basis Kiilu was picked and why the elections were never conducted.

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