ODM Party leader, Raila Odinga, acted against the wishes laid out to him by members of the late Kibra Member of Parliament, Ken Okoth, that he endorses one of them for the vacant seat.
Speaking during a rally he had convened at Kamukunji grounds on Sunday, Raila ruled out a direct nomination for the ODM candidate in the Kibra mini poll scheduled for November 7, 2019.
The opposition leader made it clear that there would be no favourites, in the race to clinch the coveted legislative seat.
He then allowed the 24 candidates, who had expressed interest in contesting for the seat under ODM to introduce themselves to the expectant crowd.
The family of the late Kibra MP had expressly declared their wish for Raila to back one of them as the next area representative.
Okoth’s maternal nephew Elvis Oluoch, according to reports by the Star, had sent emissaries to the party leader, seeking his endorsement for Imran Okoth, the former MP’s personal assistant and brother.
"We want to appeal to Raila to see if he can give one of the family members that opportunity to take care of the next three years,” he stated.
Oluoch backed his choice of Imran, as the person best suited to take over, because he had served under the former Kibra MP, meaning that he had a clear vision of what his brother had planned for Kibra.
Imran, who was also present at the rally, did little to endear himself to the huge crowd that had gathered at the historic grounds, as he was heckled off the stage.
Reports claimed that his decision to support the cremation of his late brother, is what turned the predominantly Luo electorate against him.
Interestingly, Kenyan media personalities and entertainers, Kriss Darlin and Shaffie Weru, also threw their hats in the ring, hoping to clinch a seat at the National Assembly.
