Do not embarrass me in Ugenya poll: Raila : The Standard

ODM party leader Raila Odinga has asked Ugenya residents not to embarrass him and back Chris Karan for the parliamentary seat in next month's by-election. Karan who lost his seat after the court's nullified his election is fighting to recapture the seat as candidates compete against time to consolidate their support bases. On Saturday Raila rallied the constituency to support his party's candidate saying that President Uhuru Kenyatta's party Jubilee did not field a candidate for the race to favour ODM. Speaking during the funeral of Nairobi Kaloleni Ex Senior Chief Daudi Owino, Odinga argued that it would be embarrassing to lose the seat to those party's which he claimed were sponsored by opponents.

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"Because of the unity and the spirit of working together, the President did not field a candidate in Ugenya and Embakasi by elections. The President also proved his support to me when he did not field a candidate in Migori county last year. What will it look like if someone else got the seat he left for me? I urge you to commit and vote for my candidate, " he urged voters. Mr Odinga claimed that all Kenyans had eyes on Ugenya adding that it is important for the ODM party to reclaim the seat. "Senators and Mps must speak in one language, they must be a team to fight for us, same to our MCAs. We want to have a uniform as we prepare for the political realignment. Some people should not come here and spoil for us," he added. Karan's election was nullified by the Supreme Court in December 2018 following claims that it was marred with malpractices. Raila said he will not camp in Ugenya for campaigns because he has to focus on his role as the AU special envoy.

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"I am looking for bigger projects like infrastructure, ICT and other bigger things for us.
I urge residents to vote for Karan as he has been steadfast in the issues of development and party matters," he told residents. The race for the Ugenya parliamentary seat has attracted four candidates namely; David Ochieng (Movement for Growth and Democracy),Brian Omondi (Thirdway alliance party) and Daniel Juma (Grand Dream Development Party) . They have been cleared by Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Related Topics

Raila OdingaUgenya by-electionsChris Karan