It was raw deal for women in ODM primaries, says Ruth Odinga

Kisumu Deputy Governor Ruth Odinga. She has accused ODM of giving women a raw deal in the recent party nominations. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Ms Odinga says her concerns do not arise from the fact that she has not been picked as a running mate.
  • Ms Odinga said she will concentrate on the Nasa presidential campaigns.
  • She urged ODM to consider women for other positions.

Kisumu Deputy Governor Ruth Odinga has accused the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the party led by her brother Raila Odinga, of giving women a raw deal in the recent nominations.

Ms Odinga told Nation.co.ke that it was unfortunate ODM did not nominate any woman to vie for governor or senator.

“I am afraid that from this trend, we may have few or even lack a female deputy governor in our party,” Ms Odinga said.

However, she clarified that her concerns do not arise from the fact that she has not been picked as a running mate.

“For my case, I decided not to vie for governor and to dedicate my time to campaign for Raila to become president. However, I have to state that women have got nothing as far as things in ODM are now,” Ms Odinga said.

RUNNING MATE

In an earlier interview, she said she would not mind if Senator Anyang’ Nyong’o, the Kisumu ODM governor nominee, settled on her as a running mate.

The Nation has learnt that Prof Nyong’o is planning to unveil Nairobi-based doctor, Mathews Owili from Nyakach as his running mate for the August 8 elections.

Sources within Prof Nyong’o’s camp who did not wish to be named said he had settled on Dr Owili.

When contacted, Dr Owili did not deny or confirm whether he is to be Prof Nyong’o’s running mate and asked the Nation to contact “other authorities.”

OTHER POSTS

Ms Odinga said she will concentrate on the presidential campaigns and urged ODM to consider women for other positions.

“We have lost Hazel Katana (Mombasa deputy governor) and Fatuma Achani (Kwale deputy governor). We don’t know whether we will this time round have a female in that position and the party must do something to ensure it respects the two-thirds gender rule by deeds and not just [rhetoric],” she said

She said Nyatike MP Edick Anyanga’s wife Anne suffered violence in her quest for the Migori Governorship ticket but the party was not keen on rewarding her.

“The way nominated Senator Elizabeth Ongoro was treated by ODM prompting her to defect to ANC was not fair. How could the party ask her to pay such a huge fine and order her to move from Ruaraka Constituency?” she posed.

ODM disciplinary Committee fined Ms Ongoro Sh1 million and told her to vie in a different constituency other than Ruaraka, where she had been planning to battle it out with incumbent MP Tom Kajwang.

She defected to the Musalia Mudavadi led ANC – Nasa affiliate party – on whose ticket she will face off with Mr Kajwang’ in Ruaraka.