The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has announced it will publicly declare the official winner of the contested Kakamega grassroots elections on Tuesday, September 2, following a chaotic voting exercise marked by disputes and disorder.
In a statement released Monday evening, the party assured members and the public that the results would be made available in a transparent and open manner, amid growing concerns over the credibility of the process.
The elections, held at the Igoho KMTC grounds in Kakamega, descended into chaos after ODM supporters protested the presence of the returning officer who had previously called off the exercise the week before.
Police intervened to restore order, safely escorting the officer away. A replacement was quickly deployed to oversee the continuation of the polls.
Tensions remained high throughout the day, with rival camps declaring different winners.
One faction announced Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa as the county chairperson, while another declared Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera as the rightful victor.
The dispute largely stemmed from disagreements over the voting method. Nabwera’s camp demanded a secret ballot, citing concerns over transparency, while Barasa’s supporters insisted on an open queuing system.
The standoff led to Nabwera’s team boycotting the vote entirely, after which the new returning officer declared Barasa the winner.
This latest disruption comes just days after an earlier attempt to hold the elections, on Thursday, August 28, was aborted due to similar disagreements between the two camps.
The ODM National Elections Coordinating Committee (NECC) subsequently nullified that attempt and rescheduled the vote for Monday, September 1.
Following last week’s suspension, Governor Barasa accused his rival of attempting to manipulate the outcome and derailing the democratic process.
Despite the ongoing controversy, ODM has reiterated its commitment to finalizing the process fairly and will publish the official results within the day.
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