Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Leader Raila Odinga and his counterpart from Wiper Kalonzo Musyoka have emerged as the biggest winner in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) elections after their kins made it to the final list.
Despite efforts to scuttle the attempts of Kennedy Musyoka and Winnie Odinga from making it to EALA on the claims that there were ‘dynasties’ they emerged victorious in the tight race.
Details had emerged that plans were rife to frustrate the bids of the duo to make it to the Arusha based assembly.
In the elections which were conducted in both houses, Musyoka garnered 262 votes which was the highest vote count among the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya nominees.
Odinga came in second with 247 votes which paves the way for her to represent the nation for a five year term in the Arusha based assembly.
Former Kieni MP Kanini Kega came in third among the Odinga led coalition nominees which gave him a chance to clinch the Jubilee slot in the coalition.
Businessman Suleiman Shabal emerged fourth in the Azimio list by garnering 181 vots that facilitated him to gain a chance to represent the nation in EALA.
Former Wajir Women Rep Fatuma Gedi missed the chance to step to EALA after being edged out by Kega in the race after she managed to obtain 169 votes.
In the Kenya Kwanza Alliance grouping, Hassan Omar Hassan (UDA) came in first after he garnered 253 votes in the high stakes elections.
Former Nandi Woman Zipporah Kering (UDA) came in second with 223 votes while Former Nominated MP David Sankok garnered the same votes.
Godfrey Karobia emerged the biggest winner but defying the odds to become the fourth in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance list.
Despite having lost in the secret ballot elections conducted during the party’s parliamentary group meeting he resurfaced to make to the final list.
Former Secretary General of the defunct United Republican Party Fred Muteti (UDA)garnered 189 to come in fifth.
Former Nominated Senator Falhada Dekow (UDA) obtained 174 and despite her coming in sixth she managed to make to the list due to gender.
This dealing a blow to Muteti’s ambition to sit in EALA after he was dropped. The EALA elections regulations required two representatives from the ruling coalition to be from either gender.
With the conclusion of the elections, Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwa congratulated the successful candidates calling upon them to help resuscitate the economy by opening the borders of East African region.
“Elections come with a lot of division and MPs have exchanged ideas and its now time to put away any division. The people we have elected from both coalitions now represent the people of Kenya and our country and they should carry the dignity of our country,” said Ichung’wa.
Minority Whip Junet Mohamed congratulated the leaders elected from the Azimio coalition while he chided that the most successful candidate was Karobia having defied the odds in his coalition.
“This young man was rejected terribly by his coalition that he doesn’t deserve to go to that Parliament.I found him in the corridors of this parliament dejected,” he stated.
The regional Parliament was established under Article 9 of the East African Treaty. Each member state is required to send nine MPs.
Kenya is rushing against time to second its members to the regional assembly ahead of the inauguration of the new session on December 17.
All the EAC countries, except Kenya and Democratic Republic of Congo, have already elected their representatives.
The EALA membership currently stands at 62, with nine elected members from each of the six East African Community (EAC) partner states Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and Burundi — and eight ex-officio members.
EALA is an independent arm of EAC that advances the interest of the bloc, besides providing oversight.BY Irene Mwangi, Capital News