Since its inception in 2005, the Orange Democratic Party (ODM) became, and maintained its status as a force in the Kenyan political scene.
The Raila Odinga-led party has in the past rubberstamped its support bases, with its latest being branding Kibra, its "bedroom", symbolising the former premier's 25 years as the MP for Lang'ata out of which the new constituency was carved.
In the concluded November 7, Kibra by-election, ODM party candidate Bernard 'Imran' Otieno Okoth was elected Kibra member of parliament, taking over from his late brother, Ken Okoth.
Imran's win followed in the footsteps of a number of similar nomination trends by the ODM party.
On June 10, 2008, Bomet East MP Kipkalya Kones and Sotik constituency MP Lorna Laboso, both of ODM, died in a plane crash.
As a symbol of 'gratitude' that would later become a pattern, the ODM party chose to field relatives of the late legislators to take their place.
Beatrice Kones took over from his late brother, Kipkalya Kones as Bomet East MP whereas the late, former Bomet governor Joyce Laboso took over from her late sister, Lorna Laboso as Sotik MP.
Whether the nomination of the replacements to the late legislators is done based on merit or sympathy is not clear, however, the ODM party's trend did not stop there.
On April 27, 2013, the then elected Makueni County Senator, Mutula Kilonzo passed on.
Kilonzo was elected to the Senate on an ODM ticket.
After his demise, the former senior counsel was succeeded by his own son, Mutula Kilonzo Jr who ran on a Wiper Democratic Movement ticket. Mutula Kilonzo Jr was fully backed by the ODM party.
In the bitterly contested 2013 elections, the late Otieno Kajwang was elected to serve Homa Bay County as a senator. Upon his death on November 19, 2014, his brother, Moses Otieno Kajwang won the election to succeed him as Homa Bay senator on an ODM ticket.
