Exposed: Shame of party nomination lists

Nasa leader Raila Odinga and Jubilee's Uhuru Kenyatta. Their battle for the presidency is back at the Supreme Court. PHOTOS | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Both small and big parties— including Jubilee and the National Super Alliance—ignored minorities and marginalised groups in their nominations.

  • In the six Coast counties, elected leaders’ relatives and close associates dominated the list, with some taking slots meant for youth, women and people with disabilities.

  • In Mombasa, ODM selected former Changamwe MP Ramadhan Kajembe’s daughter Ramla Ramadhan Kajembe to represent the minority Jomvu community to the county assembly.

Political parties are on the spot for breaching the Constitution by nominating their loyalists and cronies to the Senate, National Assembly and county assemblies.

Most of the nominees on the lists published by the electoral commission on Sunday are politicians’ campaigners, financiers, and party primary losers.

MOMBASA

Both small and big parties— including Jubilee and the National Super Alliance (Nasa) —ignored minorities and marginalised groups in their nominations.

In the six Coast counties, elected leaders’ relatives and close associates dominated the lists, with some taking slots meant for minorities, youth, women and people with disabilities.

In Mombasa, ODM selected former Changamwe MP Ramadhan Kajembe’s daughter Ramla Ramadhan Kajembe to represent the minority Jomvu community to the county assembly.

Others are Governor Hassan Joho’s close associates, including businessman Kevin Odhiambo Okoth, campaigner Geoffrey Busaka, Tononoka/Bondeni MCA Saad Faraj Ahmed (farmer), who lost in the party's primaries, and Amriya Boy Juma.

KILIFI

The Jubilee list of nominated MCAs includes the party's gubernatorial candidate Suleiman Shahbal’s chief campaigner Beatrice Gambo, who has been nominated to the Senate, woman representative nomination loser Safiya Dima and the party's Shanzu Ward MCA nomination loser Hamida Ngala.

Wiper governor candidate Hassan Omar’s secretariat communication member Judy Manono is among eight nominees from various minority communities in Mombasa.

In Mombasa, the Wajomvu and Wachangamwe minority tribes were among those overlooked, with the majority Mijikenda and other upcountry communities taking all slots.

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi’s close associates dominated the ODM list of nominees to the county assembly.

KWALE

They include County Executive member Rachel Musyoki’s younger sister Martha Koki Musyoki, Mariakani-based campaigner Dickson Kelvin Shaban and Lenny Mutua (disabled), who rarely misses rallies held by Mr Odinga.

Jubilee gubernatorial candidate Gideon Munga’ro picked William Kahindi Muganga, who works in his campaign secretariat, and nominated MCA and Governor’s Kingi’s fierce critic Arafa Salim, among other cronies.

In Kwale, ODM stalwarts, including Sheikh Amir Banda, who served as nominated councillor, and former councillor Fatuma Hamisi Masito, who bowed out of the woman representative race, were among the beneficiaries.

The majority Giriama and Chonyi sub-tribes of Mijikenda in Kilifi County took all nominated slots at the expense of the minority Jibana, Kambe, Kauma, Rabai, Ribe, Sanye and Italian Kenyans.

4TH TIME

Two nominated MCAs— Nchizumo Salim Fatuma and Mwanachache Rashid Fatuma— and Tsimba/Goloni Ward Administrator Mwayumbe Idd Mishi were among close associates of Governor Salim Mvurya on the Jubilee list of nominated MCAs.

Mr Mvurya’s rival and Wiper gubernatorial candidate Chirau Ali Mwakwere’s close allies and relatives dominated Wiper's MCA list.

Nominated MCA Zahra Shehe is likely to be rewarded for the fourth consecutive time as her name appears first on the ODM nominated MCAs list.

The lists of all political parties were dominated by people from the dominant Digo and Duruma sub-tribes in Kwale.

LAMU

The county’s marginalised Masaai, Shirazi, Wazegeze tribes were ignored alongside Kenya’s 43rd tribe, Makonde, who demonstrated to Nairobi before being awarded citizenship by President Kenyatta. 

In Lamu, members of the majority Kikuyu, Swahili and Bajuni communities took all slots at the expense of marginalised communities like Boni and Aweer, whose lives have been ravaged by Al-Shabaab militants based in Boni Forest.

In Tana River, the dominant communities of Governor Hussein Dado (Orma), his rivals Dhadho Godhana’s and Danson Mungatana’s Pokomo and Nuh Abdi’s Wardey took slots meant for the marginalised, special interests and people with disabilities.

No one from the marginalised and minority Ilwana, Munyoyaya and Wataa communities featured on the list.

CULTURE

University scholar Hamadi Boga condemned the skewed nominations, saying the culture of excluding minorities is crippling nation building.

Political parties, he said, have slowed down constitutionalism and the rule of law.

“The ideology of liberal thinking is not being reflected,” Prof Boga said.

“We are still struggling with the same old question of alienating certain populations of this country by the dominants."