The late Sharon Otieno's mother, Melinda Auma, has addressed a statement that has been making rounds on social media, claiming that she was given a direct United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket by Deputy President William Ruto.
Auma, who is vying for the Homa Bay Women Representative Seat, distanced herself from the allegations, continuing to state that she had neither received money nor a car from the DP.
The statement alleged to have been signed by one of her family members, indicated that the DP had brokered a deal to protect Migori Governor, Okoth Obado, who is the prime suspect in the death of Sharon Otieno.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Auma refuted the claims, stating she did not own any vehicle.
"The statement is fake and just based on propaganda. There will be a lot of that during this election period. I have never received any vehicle or cent from the DP. I am just an aspirant like any other," Auma stated.
Auma went on to state that she supported the DP on the basis of his policies and the bottom-up economic model.
She added that she would not contest on a Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party ticket, arguing that a number of officials from the party had disappointed and frustrated her.
“I told them that ODM people had done wrong things to me, so I could not be part of that team. I then asked them to give me time to look for another party.
“I didn’t know that this is the same party Obado was supporting. But I do not regret it because I have a huge following,” the aspiring Woman Rep stated.
In addition, she noted that she did not regret being in the same political party as Obado, adding that she was not aware the governor was also a member of UDA.
“My joining of politics was not my personal decision. The people from West Ward are the ones who decided, and they had been pressuring me for a long time," she stated.
