Former State House Comptroller and Bureti Member of Parliament Franklin Bett has revealed that individuals hired by Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga, cost him (Raila) the seat in 2013.
According to the former chair of ODM’s elections board in the 2013 election, Odinga’s troubles started after the party conducted nominations that were acrimoniously contested over claims of rigging and favouritism.
“He had divided attention: From dealing with the aftermath of bad nominations to looking for votes himself. His worst mistake was the people he hired to help him. They messed him up a great deal,” revealed Bett.
Bett added that the ODM nominations were messy especially in Nyanza and Western Kenya, where the party was expecting immense vote numbers to add to its basket.
He pointed out that in the shambolic nominations, unpopular candidates were given party nomination certificates and voter apathy kicked in.
The former Bureti MP noted that the glaring issues during the nominations resulted in many of Raila’s supporters not turning up to vote on the election day.
It is in this background that Odinga is said not to be taking any chances in the 2017 general election and has reportedly constituted a 14-member campaign committee which largely excluded his traditional advisers from running his campaign.
Sources revealed that Odinga is leaving nothing to chance and has put in gear resources – especially intellectual and financial – in his bid to decisively win the polls and avoid the 2013 mistakes.
Bett unsuccessfully contested in the recent Jubilee nominations for the Kericho gubernatorial seat.
