No Direct Tickets for ODM Candidates, Says MP Kajembe

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

Brian Otieno

18 July 2011

ODM will not issue direct nominations to aspiring contenders including those running for presidency, a top party official has said. National vice chairman Ramadhan Kajembe dismissed the notion that the party has a preferred presidential candidate, which, he said, is keeping away some members from the party.

At the same time, a section of the party members calling themselves the ODM Group of Professionals said they have began a campaign to rebrand the party to popularise the party at grassroots levels. Speaking at Kajembe High School during an education day, Kajembe said the party would subject all the contenders to democratic nominations for civic, parliamentary, presidential and other political posts. “There is no single individual who can boast of direct nomination from ODM irrespective of his status as this is a democratic party that believes in democratic processes in picking its leaders,” he said.

Kajembe’s declaration comes at a time when he is facing the dilemma of backing his son Seif or his son-in-law and Badi Twalib who have both declared interest in the proposed Jomvu Kuu constituency. He said he will support neither of them.

Led by Nyanza’s Julius Okinda, who is eying the party secretary general position, the professionals said the party will soon conduct a massive registration drive targeting 50 per cent of the registered voters in the country. “We are rebranding this party so that we remove the wrong perception that this is a party that is controlled by individuals. We are a democratic party led by reformist who wants a change for the better for this country,” said Okinda.

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