JAKAKIMBA: Caroli has not BOUGHT me, I can NEVER be BOUGHT

Homa Bay senate aspirants intensify internal lobbying ahead of ODM Elections board decision
Reports that Homa Bay senate candidate Silas Jakakimba has been bought off by Caroli Omondi are farfetched and untrue, his campaign manager Tyrone Omole has revealed.
“He is in the race till the end. We are awaiting the decision of NEC. . .and why would anyone want to buy him? He is not in charge of NEC or even the elections board. His supporters may not even vote for the candidate purported to have bought him. Consider such reports as hearsay,” said Omole.
This is the last weekend for residents of Homa Bay ahead of the party’s decision to select one candidate among the seven aspirants for the by election slated for February.
There are reports of realignments with allegations that some candidates have opted out of the race and are now supporting others. Homa Bay Daily has learnt the ODM Elections Board will present three names to the party’s National Executive Council, NEC, to select one person to be the party’s flag bearer.

The beneficiaries of the political winds sweeping the county seem to be Eng. Okundi, Caroli Omondi and Silas Jakakimba.
This came even as revelations emerged that the ODM Elections board has struck out Moses Kajwang’ from contesting following the chaos which rocked the party nomination exercise and which is being credited to his Brother TJ Kajwang’s bank accounts. However, we were unable to confirm this as calls to the ODM Director of Communications Mr. Phillip Etale went unanswered.
Also out of the race is Fred Rabongo, whom sources reveal has opted out following nightlong meetings with top ODM officials. However, Rabongo may have opted following revelations of a battery charges on a Mombasa woman.
Oscar Kambona and George Mboya are still in the race, but their fates are not known, as the party is very unlikely to pick any of them which will automatically lead to a thrashing defeat by the moneyed Hillary Alila who is vying as independent.
Elsewhere delegates who were allied to Engineer Okundi have urged the NEB to consider any other candidate but not Caroli and Kajwang , they blamed the two for pushing the idea of Clan MoU that led to NEB to sidelining Okundi.
For Caroli, matters were made difficult as Suba Elders endorsed Silas Jakakimba who has also received the party’s endorsement from Ndhiwa sub branch after Alila who hails from Ndhiwa pulled out. Jakakimba’s chief campaign manager dismissed rumours that his candidate had stepped down for Caroli, saying such reports show the kind of desperation in their competitor’s camp.
“We are not even competing against Caroli. Our major challenge is on another candidate. Let’s not even talk about Caroli here,” said Tyrone Omole, the man in charge of Jakakimba’s campaigns.
Within NEC, the newly endorsed party honchos will face their hardest task in choosing one candidate. Several NEC members are young and formed part of the Team Fresh whom the late Kajwang’ viciously opposed. It remains to be seen if they will endorse Moses whose only selling point is that he should finish the term of his brother, much to the chagrin of Homa Bay voters who maintain the position wasn’t hereditary.

HOMA BAY COUNTY "DELIGATES" TO NOMINATE SENATE CANDIDATE

By Mackiche Mackiche

 
With reports that ODM has settled on the county delegates to nominate their candidate, the race has now been reduced to the groundsmen vs the moneyed.
For the moneyed, three billionaires are in the race, namely, Fred Rabongo, Phillip Okundi and Caroli Omondi.
The groundsmen are Silas Jakakimba, a former aide to Raila Odinga; and, Moses Kajwang’, brother to the late Otieno Kajwang’. For Moses, who has already been endorsed by the Kajwang’ family, the race pits him with an equally youthful candidate Silas Jakakimba, both from Mbita.
However, it is believed that Moses may end up at Orange House as an ICT director, because of his IT background.
During the last IEBC election, Moses defended his profession, claiming the IEBC had set the system to fail and that the devices used could not have given out data that was not keyed in by IEBC officials.
Caroli, Okundi and Rabongo are said to have sighed with relief when it was announced delegates would determine the eventual candidate for ODM to face off with any other person in the race.

ABABU ALERTS HOMABAY SENATORIAL SEAT ASPIRANTS

It has come to the attention of the ODM that there is a group of unscrupulous people duping some aspirants for the vacant Homabay Senatorial seat that they can assist them get the nomination certificate for the seat in the February 2nd by-election.
These people are currently soliciting money from the aspirants with false promises that they will channel the same to the National Secretariat.
The ODM wishes to take great exception with these imposters whose aim is to get quick money from the politicians aspiring to run on the ODM ticket in the by-election.
The ODM would like to make it clear that the official pay-point for any nomination fee as will be stated by the National Elections Board is the Finance Department at Orange House, the party headquarters of which an official receipt will be issued.
I advise those aspiring to run for the seat on our party ticket not to pay money to any individual or group of persons purportedly to support any party meeting or aid the by-election process that is not authorized by the National Secretariat and the National Elections Board.
Aspirants for the seat should report such person(s) to the national secretariat and police for action if approached to give any amount of money by such people.
Thanks.
Hon. Ababu Namwamba – EGH, MP
Secretary General
ODM
9/12/14

Raila WILL NOT contest Homa Bay county Senatorship

Prime Minister Raila Odinga WILL NOT contest the Homa Bay senator seat, it turns out Raila was only being polite to the elders, local elected leaders and local party officials. A European based public affairs consultant who has consulted for Raila previously confirmed to this writer that Raila will instead use the opportunity offered to give the residents of Homa Bay county direction who among the top contenders should be elected.
The top contenders for the seat are top Raila aide Silas Jakakimba, Hillary Alila, Fred Rabongo and Engineer Okundi.
”Basically what the people of Homa Bay are saying is that they want Raila to indicate who is best suited to serve the Orange party and candidate Raila best, they simply want to give him the person he trusts just like he trusted hon Kajwang’. This is take a sweep at the monied Jubilee allied politicians (Kalausi) who have been trying to make in roads in South Nyanza” noted the consultant.
It is argued that in developed democracies sitting heads of government have gone back to perform legislative functions in parliament, an example is given of United Kingdom (Gordon Brown), Australia (Julia Gillard, Kevin Ruud), Israel (Arial Sharon, Ehud Barak, Benjamin Netanyahu), in USA (John McCain) Netherlands (Wim Kok, Luud Rubbers) Germany (Hemut Kohl, Gerhard Scholder) among others
Others have argued that those MPs pushing for Raila are just using him for their own ends, because they would want to run for Senator in 2017 and fear the incoming may overshadow their rise in the party.

They only want Raila as the Senator because as the next president, he is unlikely to defend the Homa Bay seat. That way no-one of their playmates or match emerges in my motherland county at this time.
That way they can all start at the same spot together (pari passu). That’s why Kaluma, Mbadi et al want to put HB in a “refrigerator”, to prevent a young energetic leader like Silas Chepkeres Jakakimba or Moses Kajwang from emerging.
They may be driven by jealousy, rather than love for their Baba.

BREAKING: CORD leader Raila Odinga SIGNALS interest for the HOMA BAY senate seat !

Prime Minister Raila Odinga gives elders three days to decide whether he will contest the upcoming Senatorial by election in Homa Bay County. The meeting held at Opoda farm, Raila rural home was attended by amongst others Homa bay Governor Cyprian Awiti, ODM chairman John Mbadi, Homa Bay women rep Gladys Wanga among other ODM MPs
Hon Mbadi said the last communication whether raila will vie to be communicated on Thursday next week. The decision meeting to be held in homa bay town to be attended by elders and the branch ODM party officials. Raila is set to attend the meeting.
CORD supporters have however INSISTED that Raila was above the senate and should focus on the 2017 presidetial campaign than senatorial duties. As the official CORD leader PM Odinga is much more powerful than Homabay senatorship.
Its not clear if Raila if once he joins the senate he dislodge senate Minority leader Moses Wetangula or he will just be a mere senator. It is highly UNLIKELY that Moses Wetangula will step aside for Odinga. Wetangula and Muthama have excelled as Minority and deputy minority leaders respectively.
Homa Bay county electorate have already indicated that they have willing and able sons and daughters to take over the seat left vacant by the death of senator Otieno Kajwang’.

Among the current front runners is Raila’s top aide Silas Jakakimba who has already been endorsed by the Suba elders and other local leaders, Hilary Alila and businessman Fred Rabongo.
More to follow>>>>
-KENYA TODAY

Suba Elders ENDORSE Raila aide Silas Jakakimba ahead of official campaign launch

It is a big boost for Homa Bay senate aspirant Silas Jakakimba as Suba Elders endorsed his candidature, dealing a fatal blow to former chief of staff in the prime minister’s office Caroli Omondi among others.
Jakakimba who is set to officially launch his campaigns in Homa Bay town mid this week is also believed to have received the backing of Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti as well as several ODM MPs and county assembly members from across Homa Bay County.
The Homa Bay senate seat has attracted the moneyed of Homa Bay county, with billionaires Hillary Alila and Caroli Omondi throwing their hats in the ring.
However, both Alila and Omondi are fighting off allegations of spoilers, as they are known Jubilee Alliance moles. Omondi is said to be a special advisor of President Uhuru while Alila is a long time business associate of former President Daniel Moi.
Legend has it that Alila is among the many affluent Kenyans whose names were used by Moi to hide his massive wealth, which explains the man’s source of vast resources.
The other candidates in the race are former NSSF Managing trustee and Nairobi businessman Fred Rabongo, former Rangwe MP Philip Okundi and diaspora based lawyer George Omburo.

Kajwang's brother seeks to take over as Homa Bay Senator

Otieno Kajwang's 35-year-old younger brother has declared interest in the Homa Bay County senatorial seat.

“My community has requested me to represent them to complete my late brother’s development projects,” Moses Otieno said on Wednesday,

Otieno said he is currently finalising consultations with the people of the county and that he will soon make a public announcement.

“I have been involved in political mobilization during the 1997, 2002 and 2007 elections in Mbita Constituency and the 2012 elections in Ruaraka Constituency," he said of his qualifications.

"Like the late Senator Kajwang’, I am a strong believer in education and religion and I continue to provide personal support and contributions to churches and schools across the country,” he continued.

Otieno graduated from Moi University with a degree in Information Technology, a field in which he also has a Masters degree from Makerere University in Uganda.

“I am an information technology specialist and I have worked in the financial services and supply chain industries in East Africa for the last 12 years,” he said.

He works at an insurance firm.

ODM has assured all those eyeing the seat on the party’s ticket of a free and fair nomination process.

Secretary General designate and Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba said the party will use the opportunity to redeem itself.

He promised fair nominations for the Kajiado Central MP seat as well following Joseph Nkaissery's nomination as Interior CS after President Uhuru Kenyatta sacked Joseph ole Lenku.

Nkaissery, whose resignation is expected, won the seat on an ODM ticket.

The other candidates vying for Homa Bay senator include Hilary Alila, who was Kajwang's main contestant in the last election, former Rangwe MP Philip Okundi, Martin Ogindo, Silas Jakakimba and Fred Rabong’o.

Some MPs from South Nyanza are however said to be rooting for Raila Odinga. They include Opondo Kaluma (Homabay Town), Edick Anyanga (Nyatike) and Ken Okoth (Kibra).

They say Raila as senator would be able to spearhead devolution.