Funyula Member of Parliament Paul Otuoma was Thursday morning a victim of a smear campaign by people believed to be his political rivals in the Busia Gubernatorial race.
Fake publications had been made and distributed to insinuate that Otuoma had defected from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to the Jubilee Party.
The publications included a front page feature of the Daily Nation newspaper with the headline 'Otuoma Defects to Jubilee Party' and campaign posters with the Jubilee party logo.
The publications were released on Thursday morning, the day scheduled for ODM party primaries in Busia.
According to Otuoma, the plot heinous plot had been hatched by his rival for Busia governorship, incumbent Governor Sospeter Ojaamong.
Interestingly, Governor Ojaamong had spoken on the smear campaign publications just minutes before they were made public where he accused Dr Otuoma of enlisting support from a Jubilee politician within the county who was allegedly dishing out money of behalf of Otuoma.
"(Dr) Otuoma is a Jubilee candidate. He is being funded by Jubilee. Even our party leader knows that," Ojaamong accused.
While speaking to journalists, Dr Otuoma declared that the attempt to deter him did not affect his resolve.
"My opponents have been trying to peddle this rumour all along just to bring me down but that will not happen. I am confident of clinching the ODM certificate," Otuoma asserted.
Meanwhile, the Nation Media Group has released a press statement refuting the headline.
"We dissociate ourselves from such leaflets and condemn in the strongest terms possible the use of any of our brands for political purposes," the Nation Media Group statement read in part.
