{"id":119983,"date":"2025-08-19T11:03:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T11:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/08\/19\/race-to-succeed-nyongo-odm-braces-for-crowded-kisumu-contest\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T11:03:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T11:03:03","slug":"race-to-succeed-nyongo-odm-braces-for-crowded-kisumu-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/race-to-succeed-nyongo-odm-braces-for-crowded-kisumu-contest\/","title":{"rendered":"Race to succeed Nyong\u2019o: ODM braces for crowded Kisumu contest"},"content":{"rendered":"

KISUMU, Kenya, Aug 19 \u2014 A packed race is emerging for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) gubernatorial ticket in Kisumu County ahead of the 2027 General Election, with at least five prominent politicians already in the running.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With Governor Anyang\u2019 Nyong\u2019o serving his second and final term, the contest for the county\u2019s top seat has attracted Kisumu Central MP Dr Joshua Oron, Nyakach MP Aduma Owuor, Kisumu West MP Rosa Buyu, Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda, and current Deputy Governor Dr Mathews Owili.<\/p>\n

Also being mentioned\u2014though reportedly unlikely to vie on an ODM ticket\u2014is former Kisumu Central MP Ken Obura, whose name continues to feature in political circles.<\/p>\n

ODM leader Raila Odinga has signaled his intention to bring all aspirants together in a bid to reach a consensus on a single candidate, a move he says will avert divisions and safeguard the party\u2019s dominance in Kisumu.<\/p>\n

\u201cEventually, we can only have one ODM candidate for governor. I plan to meet all the aspirants and agree on who should carry our banner,\u201d Raila said over the weekend in Kisumu, while condemning the rising cases of rowdy youth aligned to rival camps.<\/p>\n

Push for primaries <\/h2>\n

But his remarks have sparked mixed reactions within the party, with critics insisting the choice of candidate should be left to grassroots members through primaries.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a registered ODM member, I believe party primaries should be used to let members decide. Raila should not handpick a candidate,\u201d said Jorim Ouma, a voter from Kisumu Central.<\/p>\n

Some supporters argue that aspirants have invested heavily in their campaigns, and sidelining them through a boardroom decision could be politically damaging. <\/p>\n

As a result, many party loyalists and grassroots supporters are calling on Raila to guarantee a transparent, violence-free nomination process.<\/p>\n

Wycliffe Odera, a resident of Manyatta, emphasized the importance of strong party structures to ensure credibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would wish the ODM leader to allow democracy to thrive. Even if the party has 100 candidates, they should be allowed to contest in the nominations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Odera added that poor leadership across the Nyanza region is partly a result of handpicking candidates.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor how long will a small group of club members choose one of their own, while they go on to lead millions? Can the millions not be given a chance to elect for themselves?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Messy nominations <\/h2>\n

Historically, ODM nominations in Nyanza have been contentious, often marred by fallouts and claims of irregularities. <\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Raila successfully applied a similar consensus approach in 2022, when Gladys Wanga was selected and later elected Governor of Homa Bay.<\/p>\n

This time, Kisumu County is expected to be ODM\u2019s main gubernatorial battleground, as other county governors in the region seek re-election.<\/p>\n

Isiah Onyango, a former civic leader in Kisumu, supports Raila\u2019s method, arguing it could strengthen party loyalty.<\/p>\n

\u201cRaila\u2019s proposal is about bringing the candidates together to choose the best among themselves. A guided approach helps us select leaders who remain committed to the ODM cause,\u201d Onyango said, calling for a balance between loyalty and democracy.<\/p>\n

He added that voters always retain the final say during the General Election: \u201cThose who differ with the party\u2019s choice always have their chance to elect leaders they deem fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Replacing Governor Nyong\u2019o presents a significant challenge, with Raila expected to navigate competing interests, clan dynamics, loyalty considerations, and regional support bases.<\/p>\n

ODM could choose among several options: open primaries, direct nominations, or universal suffrage.<\/p>\n

In 2022, the party relied on opinion polls to identify strong candidates, a method widely criticized for being opaque and prone to manipulation.<\/p>\n

Kisumu Central Constituency ODM Secretary Samuel Nyabinda defended Raila\u2019s approach, saying it always reflects grassroots aspirations.<\/p>\n

\u201cRaila is not out to stifle democracy but to unify the party. Our gubernatorial aspirants should seize this opportunity, sit down, and agree among themselves,\u201d Nyabinda said.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KISUMU, Kenya, Aug 19 \u2014 A packed race is emerging for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) gubernatorial ticket in Kisumu County ahead of the 2027 General Election, with at least five prominent politicians already in the running. With Governor Anyang\u2019 Nyong\u2019o serving his second and final term, the contest for the county\u2019s top seat has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119983\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}