Following the expulsion of Uriri Member of Parliament Mark Nyamita from the Orange Democratic Movement party, irate constituents from Uriri took to the road to express their anger to the ODM party for its decision.
The constituents accused the party of being partisan and unreasonable for excommunicating their MP whereas the party should have heard from his side of the story.
The axe
In a press statement released by the party on the eve of Wednesday 8, Mark Nyamita was ousted from the party following his failure to show up for the party disciplinary committee summon at Orange House.
The legislator together with his counterpart from Suna West Peter Masara and Migori governor Dr Ochilo Ayacko were summoned to appear before the party’s central committee meeting after they were involved in an ugly display at a funeral function in Uriri, Migori county.
“Nyamita was invited to today’s central committee meeting but did not attend,” read the statement.
It continued, “At this stage, the Party wishes to fully disassociate itself from Nyamita. We have granted his wish to no longer be part of us and advise our members in Uriri and Migori generally that he is an agent of UDA with the assigned task of sowing confusion and discord within ODM.”
The party drilled the last nail by categorically outlining that Nyamita did not speak for nor represent the Party at any level and advised its members to view and treat him and all those who support him accordingly.
Coldhearted Partisan officials
The party’s decision did not sit well with ardent supporters of the MP, who criticized the party officials.
Nereah Adoyo, a resident of Central Kanyamkago ward drew that it is unfair that the ODM party expels Nyamita yet, it is through him that they have a modern paved market and other development projects.
She asked the party to be considerate and stop treating those who fought for a six-piece voting pattern in the previous election like Nyamita.
However, Ronald Ochieng another resident from Uriri town, turned his gun to the ODM party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, who he accused of undermining them by orchestrating the ouster of their MP.
Ochieng stated that the ODM party is not Sifuna’s but theirs as voters and any decision made should cut across.
Additionally, he emphasized that if Nyamita is being fought for his intentions of succeeding Governor Ochilo come 2027, then the dream shall not be killed by few in the ODM party like Sifuna.
“We are telling Sifuna that in Migori we want someone who is zealous, philosophical, industrious and development-conscious man. And that man is Mark Ogolla Nyamita,” underscored Ochieng.
West Kanyamkago ward ODM party’s organizing secretary Javan Ochieng challenged Sifuna that he was misled to ouster Nyamita and that the issue that the MP was summoned for is related to the violence at a recent funeral
“The main problem entangling Mark and the county boss is a development that our MP is constantly asking him. The key issues revolve around the bursary and the fertilizer distribution,” he stated.
Kicks of a ‘dying man’
However, before the reaction of his supporters, in his immediate response and defence from the onslaught by the ODM party, the legislator outlined in his statement that he did not receive an official invitation until yesterday at around 2 pm.
He revealed that the party asked him to attend a meeting scheduled for 10.00 am and that on the fateful day, he was away in Meru on official parliamentary duties.
To his dismay, he expressed his surprise that the ODM central committee went ahead, in classic bias, and issued a resolution without hearing his side of the story.
“I feel lied to. I feel cheated’” said the legislator in his statement.
In contrast to the party decision, Nyamita vividly describes what could be the onset of his woes with the party bigwigs.
“On the material day,” the statement read, “chaos erupted at the governor’s arrival when he disobeyed all orderly requests that the family made to his entourage.”
Therefore, he said there was a malicious attempt by the ODM Party to cover up for the incompetence of the Migori governor, whom he referred to as “a hooligan and the lord of violence.”
With both the ODM party and the lawmaker locked in press statements expressing their disappointments and dissatisfaction with each other’s decision, the political life of the young ambitious legislator rests in his hands.
IAN BYRON