ODM Youth Reject Uasin Gishu Polls
ODM Uasin Gishu chairman Dr. Kipchumba Kaptoge implicated veteran official Kipkorir Menjo of orchestrating the alleged malpractice.
The leaders asked the ODM National Executive Council to nullify the results and conduct fresh elections
By Juliet Jerotich
Boaz Bonke, who ran for the position of the ODM youth leader in Uasin Gishu, has complained about what he calls monster irregularities in the just-held party elections. Speaking during a press conference, Bonke said the exercise was neither free nor fair. He said the exercise lacked voter verification and the register used was not reconcilable with the one maintained by the constituencies.
Bonke further alleged that non-members, especially UDA youth, were allowed to vote in ODM elections. According to him, this was made possible by manipulation by local officials. He attributed the blame to county election leaders for being bribed to favor some camps. “This was not an ODM election. It was corruption and infiltration,” Bonke said, pointing out that evidence of malpractice had been seized and passed around.
The ODM young candidate cited examples like Kapseret where one name appeared on the committee list against the party rules. He said that the entire process was compromised, with genuine ODM members excluded. “If these are to be held, then it will be the end of ODM in Uasin Gishu,” he threatened.
Supporting Bonke’s claim, ODM Uasin Gishu chairman Dr. Kipchumba Kaptoge implicated veteran official Kipkorir Menjo of orchestrating the alleged malpractice. Menjo allegedly conspired with party members and outsiders to rig the elections, said him. Dr. Kaptoge further stated that Menjo has a history of betrayal, even warning that the leader poses a threat to ODM stability in the Rift Valley.
The leaders asked the ODM National Executive Council to nullify the results and conduct fresh elections. They alleged that most of the voters were not ODM members but were supporters of UDA who were mobilized to interfere with the results.
We will not recognize officials announced through this sham election. ODM youths are deserving of an open process, not saboteurs,” Bonke said. He asserted that the youth will continue to protest for fairness and verification until justice is done.
The leaders summed up by urging ODM headquarters to move quickly to save the party’s reputation in the region. “We respect Baba, but he taught us to struggle for justice. This is the time to act,” Bonke emphasized.
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