Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has spoken on the behaviour of hiring hooligans commonly referred to as 'men in black' during elections.
Addressing People With Disabilities during a forum at Orange House, Odinga stated he was aware of leaders who were used to causing chaos during party nominations to scare away their opponents.
Odinga vowed to take action against any aspirant who promotes unruly behaviour during the primaries, which are set to run from February through to March 2017.
“Hiring of hooligans to nomination centres to intimidate candidates will be completely disallowed,” he declared.
He further assured that anyone who would be caught abetting the crime would be disqualified, assuring persons with disabilities of his support during the upcoming polls.
“We will not tolerate any form of intimidation or violence meted out against people with disabilities or any other candidates in ODM. Any candidate that uses violence to intimidate persons with disability will be immediately disqualified,” he added.
Mr Odinga said the strict actions would be taken as the party seeks to exorcise itself from violent incidents that have always rocked its polls.
In attempts to beat the menace, the ODM leader has reportedly made several changes in preparation for the primaries including re-organising the party's election team.
ODM nominations are also set to be conducted early enough to allow discontented parties to launch any complaints to ensure a free and fair process.
