Africa-Press – Kenya. Raila Odinga has stamped his authority in his traditional strongholds in what could give him political capital in the event of a repeat presidential poll.
Raila’s Azimio on Monday beat President-elect William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza to retain the hotly contested Kakamega and Mombasa governor seat races.
The outfit also won three parliamentary seats, including two in Ruto’s Rift Valley backyard. Those polls were postponed by the IEBC before the August 9 general election.
IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati cited a mix-up in candidates’ details and later security for the postponement.
Ruto’s UDA party won one parliamentary seat.
ODM, an affiliate of Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya Coalition, won Mombasa and Kakamega governor races.
In Mombasa, ODM candidate Abdulswamad Nassir beat UDA’s Hassan Omar and five others.
Nassir, who now succeeds Hassan Joho, got 119,083 votes against Omar’s 98,108.
In Kakamega, Fernandes Barasa of ODM garnered 192,768 votes against 159,272 votes of Cleophas Malala (ANC).
ANC is a founding member of the Kenya Kwanza Coalition alongside Ford Kenya and others.
The two coalitions fiercely fought for the seats and dispatched their best troops to campaign for their candidates and ‘protect’ their votes.
The two counties have been Raila’s traditional bases with the ODM leader scooping more than 60 per cent of the presidential votes in the general election.
The Azimio candidate and running mate Martha Karua have challenged the election of Ruto at the Supreme Court. They are, among others, seeking the nullification of his victory.
With the victory in Kakamega and Mombasa, Azimio will now have the majority of members in the powerful Council of Governors.
Azimio has 23 governors compared to Kenya Kwanza’s 22.
However, UDM, which was initially a member of Azimio, has signed a post-election pact with Kenya Kwanza, but legal experts say they are still legally in Azimio.
Two governors were elected on independent tickets. They are Kawira Mwangaza (Meru) and Andrew Mwadime (Taita Taveta).
In the parliamentary elections, Raila’s Azimio scooped Kacheliba, Pokot South and Kitui Rural seats, giving him a big boost in the scramble for numbers to control Parliament.
Ruto’s UDA won the Rongai MP seat in Nakuru.
UDA candidate Paul Chebor floored Kanu’s Raymond Moi who was the sitting MP.
Chebor got 27,021 votes against Moi’s 14,715.
In Kacheliba, Titus Lotee of the Kenya Union Party party beat incumbent Mark Lomunokol of the United Democratic Movement.
Lotee got 20,073 votes against Lomunokol’s 17,963.
In Pokot West, incumbent David Pkosing of KUP garnered 28,225 to retain the seat in the highly contested poll.
UDA’s Simon Kelekam got 15,298 votes.
Raila’s win in these constituencies in West Pokot, Ruto’s backyard, could be a big blow to the DP.
Ruto had hoped to bag the seats to strengthen his numbers in Parliament and stamp his authority as the region’s undisputed political kingpin.
Besides the two constituencies, Azimio carried the day in Kitui Rural constituency, the home turf of Wiper boss Kalonzo Musyoka.
Kalonzo is a principal in Azimio.
Wiper candidate David Mwalika easily retained his seat.
Mwalika beat his only challenger Charles Nyamai of UDA by garnering 19,735 votes against Nyamai’s 10,178.
With the new victories, Azimio now has 165 elected members of the National Assembly against Kenya Kwanza’s 160.
Twelve nominated members will also join the House.
Their distribution will depend on the number of MP seats a party won.
The coalition will occupy the majority in the House. It will produce the Majority leader, his or her deputy and the majority whips.
The coalition members will chair sectoral and procedural committees including the influential budget and appropriations, and finance panels.
This implies that should Ruto’s win be upheld by the apex court, government business will for the first time be channelled through the office of the minority leader of the National Assembly.
However, the Azimio numbers do not imply that it will automatically produce the speaker of the House as each member will participate in the election of a speaker through a secret ballot.
Thus, a member can opt to defy a party or coalition position on the election of a particular candidate for speaker.
Azimio is planning to field Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka for the powerful seat, the third in command in the country’s power hierarchy.
Kenya Kwanza is set to front Bungoma Senator-elect Moses Wetang’ula as its candidate for National Assembly speaker.
In the Senate, Ruto’s wing has one member more than Azimio and will occupy the right wing of the House.
Kenya Kwanza has 24 senators against Azimio’s 23.
The lot will be joined by 20 nominated members. They will comprise 16 women, for gender top-up, and two youths.
Just as in the National Assembly, it is not a given that they will triumph in the speaker election as this will depend on how each wing lobbies for their candidates.
Azimio has proposed former National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende while Kenya Kwanza will front former Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
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