From: madanje junior

TENSION HIGH IN KISUMU.

  BY FRED OCHIENG’ KSM.
  13TH SEPT. 2007.

Political tension is boiling high in Kisumu town west constituency following the late entry of ODM party activist into the race for the parliamentary seat to the August house.

Former Maseno University student leader, Joshua Nyamori, who has served in the ODM affairs since its inception, declared yesterday that he was going to vie for the seat, an issue which has sparked divergent opinion from other aspirants and the incumbent.

Early in the week, daggers were nearly drawn between the youths allied to Nyamori and that of Olago Aluoch, when the latter youth engaged the formers in a heated debate, telling them to implore Nyamori to defect.

The over twenty youths confronted their Rivals, saying that Nyamori's entry into politics was likely to interfere with the political aspirations of other aspirants who for long have been yearning to unseat Rev. Ken Nyagudi.

During his declaration on Sunday, Nyamori, who enjoys a wide support from the youth in the town, said that he will mount a strong campaign against political oiled chest candidates, and urged youths to support him.

The utterance was likely to flesh off many aspirants, and hardly a day later, youths allied to one Aspirant, stormed the venue where Nyamori offices are, demanding his immediate defection, saying that he was acting contrary to the pact.

"Nyamori has been saying that he will not contest, what has become of him now that he want to go against his words, we will not allow him to do", said one of the youths.

It is reported that at one time, when he was asked about his political aspiration by Langata MP, he said that he was still weighing his options, but revealed that he is unlikely to vie very soon. However, things appeared to have taken a new twist after he was relegated into a post of a treasurer during the merger of two ODM offices.

The threat imposed by Nyamori was well exhibited in the tussle over the chairmanship of ODM party offices, where two camps led by Nyamori and another by Dave Okwatch had parallel offices until later last month, when the efforts by Raila Odinga were incorporated to merge the offices.

It took Raila, the community King pin whose words are unchallenged within the community, two days before the offices were merged. His first attempt landed on a deaf ear when the two rival groups failed to agree. The office was later merged after a week of consultation led by Raila Odinga.

The fears of both the incumbent and the aspirants are that he is likely to win the votes in any party incase he is denied a ticket in the party where he is the treasurer.

ENDS.