ODM defectors will not be re-elected – Jakoyo Midiwo

Three ODM MPs from Siaya County have claimed that most of the legislators who have defected to Jubilee would lose in the next elections.

Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo, Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo and Siaya County Women Representative Dr Christine Ombaka stated that the legislators’ decision to decamp to the Jubilee Party is insignificant and would only work to the disadvantage of the MPs.

“Statistics show that only 24 per cent of MPs make it back to Parliament so the likes of (John) Waluke and Ababu (Namwamba) are in the 76 per cent who will not be reelected,” said Midiwo.

“We have nothing to lose when an MPs defects to another party. I don’t think anyone who has left us was with us in the first place.”

Unlike Waluke, Namwamba has denied claims that he is destined for Jubilee saying his decision to quit ODM was necessitated by the need to form a Third Force alliance that would bring together the Luhya community ahead of the next elections.

Despite the departures, Midiwo exuded confidence that ODM is going to grow even stronger and would form the next government, adding that the defectors will be in for a surprise in 2017.

In his address, Gumbo stated that those who defected to Jubilee will be in for a rude shock because “they are going in for occupied households whose owners will not give them any room.”

The MPs were speaking during a fundraising at St. Peters’ Cathedral Siaya ACK in Siaya town where the county MP Dr Christine Ombaka described the defectors as self seekers who have no impact.

Dr Ombaka warned the defectors to rethink their decision since they had no guarantee slots in their new party.

Some of the ODM MPs who have since defected to Jubilee include Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya, Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung’aro, Kwale Women Representative Zainab Chidzuga among others.

Additional reporting by @benjaminwafula