Ong'ondo Were: Kasipul ODM Chairperson Declares Family Member Will Replace Slain MP
- The ODM party has made a declaration that the outfit's ticket would he retained in Ong'ondo Were's family in Kasipul constituency's oncoming by-election
- The minipoll was occasioned by the murder of Were, who was serving his second term in parliament
- ODM chairman for Kasipul, Evans Ndege said the party would sponsor the deceased's kin to succeed him
Homa Bay county - Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) chairman for the Kasipul branch, Evans Ndege, has declared that the party would be sponsoring a kin of the late Ong'ondo Were to vie in the oncoming mini-poll.
Source: Twitter
The constituents of Kasipul will be going back to the booth to elect their new member of parliament, following the murder of Were.
What is ODM's decision on Kasipul by-election?
Speaking on Friday, May 9, at the sendoff of the slain lawmaker in Homa Bay county, Ndege told off the politicians who had come out to launch a campaign against him ahead of the 2027 elections, saying the party would seek to have the seat retained by the deceased's family.
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He said either of the deceased's wives, or his sons would be fronted to vie for the seat.
"There is no vacuum in Kasipul. If you ever targeted the seat of Ong'ondo Were, wait until 2027. The seat will be taken by either of his wives or his sons. If you ever thought an opportunity would arise, forget about it. The late had his dreams and aspirations for the people of Kasipul," Ndege said.
Ndege's sentiments came days after Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma proposed that the seat be passed to one of Were's sons.
Who will succeed Ong'ondo Were as Kasipul MP?
In anticipation of the vote, Kaluma suggested that the ODM party may retain the ticket within the slain MP's family.
He referred to the precedent set during the 2015 senatorial by-election in Homa Bay, following the passing of the county's first senator, Otieno Kajwang'.
Kaluma recalled how the position was negotiated in favour of Moses Otieno Kajwang', allowing him to succeed his late brother, who had passed away in November 2014.
Kaluma urged Homa Bay governor Gladys Wanga, the party’s national chairperson, to step in and help ensure that the ticket remains within Were’s family.
Source: Facebook
How Ong'ondo Were met his death
Were was killed on April 30 on Ngong Road, Nairobi.
His attacker on a motorcycle trailed him from the parliament buildings to the crime scene.
At the time of the fatal attack, the deceased was being driven in a saloon car, a Toyota Crown..
The gunman, who was behind Were's car right from the city, dismounted after it stopped at the red traffic light at the City Mortuary roundabout.
The attacker fired five gunshots, which ended the MP's life.
An autopsy indicated that Were bled excessively after the rounds pierced through the critical organs, such as the lungs, heart and liver.
Meanwhile, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives are eyeing a breakthrough as they piece together crucial evidence in the efforts to unravel the MP's murder.
The detectives apprehended ten people, including Were's driver and bodyguard, as the probe heightens.
They also identified a person of interest believed to have been among the planners of the murder.
The person of interest is Philip Aroko, a politician who had declared interest in the Kasipul MP's seat.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
