Exposed: Shame of party nomination lists

Nasa leader Raila Odinga and Jubilee’s Uhuru Kenyatta. They ignored minorities and people with disabilities in their nomination lists to county assemblies in Coast. PHOTOS | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Exposed: Shame of party nomination lists

Political parties are on the spot for breaching the Constitution by nominating their loyalists and cronies to the Senate, National Assembly and county assemblies.

Most of the nominees on the lists published by the electoral commission on Sunday are politicians’ campaigners, financiers, and party primaries losers.

MOMBASA

Both small and big parties— including Jubilee and the National Super Alliance (Nasa) —ignored minorities and marginalised groups in their nominations.

In the six Coast counties, elected leaders’ relatives and close associates dominated the lists, with some taking slots meant for minorities, youth, women and people with disabilities.

In Mombasa, ODM selected former Changamwe MP Ramadhan Kajembe’s daughter Ramla Ramadhan Kajembe to represent the minority Jomvu community to the county assembly.

Others are Governor Hassan Joho’s close associates, including businessman Kevin Odhiambo Okoth, campaigner Geoffrey Busaka, Tononoka/Bondeni MCA Saad Faraj Ahmed (farmer) who lost in the party’s primaries and Mr Amriya Boy Juma.

KILIFI

Jubilee list of nominated MCAs includes the party’s gubernatorial candidate Suleiman Shahbal’s Chief Campaigner Beatrice Gambo who has been nominated to the Senate, woman representative nomination loser Safiya Dima and the party’s Shanzu Ward MCA nomination loser Hamida Ngala.

Wiper candidate and Senator Hassan Omar’s secretariat communication member Judy Manono is among eight nominees each from various minority communities in Mombasa.

In Mombasa, minority tribes of Wajomvu and Wachangamwe were among those overlooked with the majority Mijikenda and other upcountry communities taking all slots.

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi’s close associates dominated list of the party nominees to the county assembly.

KWALE

They include County Executive Member Rachel Musyoki’s younger sister Martha Koki Musyoki, Mariakani-town-based campaigner Dickson Kelvin Shaban and physically disabled man Lenny Mutua, who rarely misses rallies attended by Mr Odinga.

Jubilee gubernatorial candidate Gideon Munga’ro picked William Kahindi Muganga, who works in his campaign secretariat and nominated MCA and Governor’s Kingi’s fierce critic Arafa Salim among other cronies.

In Kwale, ODM stalwarts, including Sheikh Amir Banda, who served as nominated councillor, and former Councillor Fatuma Hamisi Masito, who bowed out of woman representative race, were among the beneficiaries.

The majority Giriama and Chonyi sub-tribes of Mijikenda in Kilifi County took all nominated slots at the expense of the minority Jibana, Kambe, Kauma, Rabai, Ribe, Sanye and Italian Kenyans.

4TH TIME

Two nominated MCAs— Nchizumo Salim Fatuma and Mwanachache Rashid Fatuma— and Tsimba/Goloni Ward Administrator Mwayumbe Idd Mishi were among close associates of Governor Salim Mvurya on the Jubilee list of nominated MCAs.

Mr Mvurya’s rival and Wiper gubernatorial candidate Ali Mwakere’s close allies and relatives dominated list of Wiper party’s MCA list.

Nominated MCA Zahra Shehe is likely to be rewarded for the fourth consecutive time as her name appears first on ODM nominated MCA list.

The lists of all political parties were dominated people from the dominant Digo and Duruma sub-tribes in Kwale.

LAMU

The county’s marginalised tribes of Masaai, Shirazi, Wazegeze were ignored alongside Kenya’s 43rd tribe, Makonde, who demonstrated to Nairobi before being awarded citizenship by President Kenyatta.

In Lamu, members of the majority Kikuyu, Swahili and Bajuni communities took all slots at the expense of marginalised communities like Boni and Aweer whose lives have been ravaged by Al-Shabaab insurgency in Boni Forest.

In Tana River, dominant communities of Governor Hussein Dado (Orma), his rivals’ Dhadho Godhana’s and Danson Mungatana’s Pokomo and Dr Nuh Abdi’s Wardey took slots meant for the marginalised, special interests and people with disabilities.

None of marginalised and minority Ilwana, Munyoyaya and Wataa communities featured on the list.

CULTURE

University scholar Hamadi Boga condemned the skewed nomination, saying the culture of exclusion of the minorities is crippling nation building.

Political parties, he said, have slowed down constitutionalism and rule of law.

“The ideology of liberal thinking is not being reflected,” Prof Boga said.

“We are still struggling with the same old question of alienating certain population of this country by the dominants.

Source: Daily Nation