Africa-Press – Kenya. The National Elections Coordinating Committee of the Orange Democratic Movement has denied claims that it has ordered a repeat of county-level party elections in Kakamega, terming the reports false and misleading.
In a statement issued on Friday, NECC clarified that no such directive has been made regarding the County Coordinating Committee elections in Kakamega.
“Any information to the contrary is false and should be ignored,” the committee stated, urging party members to rely only on official communication from the party leadership.
The clarification comes after reports suggesting that ODM had annulled the Kakamega County Coordinating Committee elections amid internal wrangles.
ODM has been holding grassroots elections across the country as part of its effort to strengthen internal democracy and reorganize its structures.
However, in Kakamega and several other counties, the process has sparked tension, with aspirants trading accusations of favouritism and electoral malpractice.
Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa was declared the ODM county chairperson winner during the party primaries that took place at Ikolomani KMTC Campus last week.
He retained the position he has been holding for the last two years.
Barasa was defending the seat against Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera, who had declared interest in the seat.
Barasa’s camp advocated for acclamation or consensus, while Nabwera’s camp supported a secret ballot as the voting method.
This move forced the returning officer to postpone the election until further notice.
However, a day later, the ODM party announced Monday, September 1, 2025, as the date for the repeat election.
However, on Monday, the attempts by the two camps and ODM to agree on the voting method did not bear fruit after intense seven-hour talks.
The Nabwera’s camp walked out of the voting venue, leaving Barasa’s camp and the election officials led by Felix Ngara, a returning officer who later conducted the election and declared Barasa as the newly elected ODM county chairman.
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