Kidero on Homa Bay Governor race: ODM aspirants were coerced to step down for Wanga

Homa Bay Governor aspirant Dr. Evans Kidero has dismissed claims that her competitor, ODM candidate’s Gladys Wanga, was nominated through consensus as previously stated by the party leader Raila Odinga.

Kidero says that Odinga’s past announcement that the seven aspirants had shelved their ambitions in favour of the incumbent County Woman Representative to carry the ODM flag in the governor’s race was false, alleging that they were coerced to step down.

“There were about nine of us who were running and it took about three days for all the nine to drop off. It was done through coercion; he (Odinga) said there was consensus but there was no consensus,” Kidero said in an interview with KTN News on Wednesday.

“Mbadi was called on March 23 and told to drop off, this was confirmed on Saturday the 26th. On 24th, Magwanga and the rest were called and told to drop off and I was called on 27th and told it was important but I said No.”

The former Nairobi Governor said that the ODM leadership sought to bulldoze a candidate through to the seat, in complete disregard of the will of the people, which is why he declined to step down.

"I said No, it is important that the Homa Bay people make a choice of the person they want through a process. Article 1 of the Constitution says that the sovereign power belongs to the people and they should exercise this sovereignty through the electing of leaders,” Kidero noted.

Kidero, who is now seeking the top Homa Seat on an independent ticket, ditched the ODM party after Wanga was nominated as the flagbearer on a joint ticket with former Kasipul MP Oyugi Magwanga as her running mate.

He further divulged that at the final meeting held in a Nairobi hotel on the day the ODM chief made the announcement, he (Kidero) had not been invited.

"They were summoned to a meeting in Nairobi and I was not invited; Louis Otieno was also not invited. I was also told when the meeting was on...but before I could finish and go, I saw the announcement been made," he explained.

"There was no consensus because the definition of consensus is that everybody must agree and there is no voting in consensus."

Odinga, addressing the media on March 31 this year, said all 7 aspirants had engaged in long consultations with each other and arrived at the decision to back Wanga’s bid.

"There are those aspirants who have been running for the governorship position in Homa Bay County. They have been having a meeting and invited us as party officials to come and have consultations with them. They’ve had very extensive consultations, at the end of which an agreement has been reached by way of consensus," he said then.

 “Out of the seven contestants who were here, they’ve all agreed to step down and back Gladys Wanga as the party candidate in the Homa Bay County gubernatorial race. In the same spirit, they’ve also nominated her running mate as Oyugi Magwanga.”