Ugunja Constituency 12:10 PM — The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party nominations to pick its candidate for the Ugunja Parliamentary by-election began today across polling stations in Ugunja, with Savanna Grassland Hotel announced locally as the party’s tallying centre and independent observers and IEBC representatives reported in place at several polling stations.
What began as a tightly scheduled exercise to choose the ODM flag bearer quickly took on the character of a micro-election theatre: local party officials and delegates moving between clustered polling stations, parallel lines of supporters chanting for aspirants, and teams of observers — some wearing independent civil observer bibs — settled to watch the count. Party sources and local listings confirm the hotel’s central role for results aggregation.
Skirmishes at Rambula — Contained for Now, but Tensions High
Shortly after voting opened, isolated scuffles were reported in Rambula. Our correspondents on the ground described brief confrontations outside one polling station; community leaders and local administrators later said they had intervened and restored order. These incidents, while short-lived, underscore the combustible mix of rivalry and suspicion that has shadowed the nomination process. At the time of filing this report, sources described the situation in Rambula as under control. (Our reporters remain at Rambula monitoring developments.)
Note: Rambula skirmish reports are based on our team’s field reporting and eyewitness accounts at the polling station; formal statements from security organs were still being awaited.
Ferrying Allegations: Suspicious Bus, Unverified Claims of Voter Movement
A central allegation circulating among delegates and rival camps is that a candidate — repeatedly named in local chatter as Moses Omondi — is employing organised transport to bring voters into Ugunja from neighbouring wards, principally North Ugenya and parts of Alego-Usonga. Eye-witnesses told our reporters they saw a bus loitering outside a cluster of polling stations that later deposited groups of voters believed by locals to be from outside the immediate polling area. These observations have fuelled accusations that a well-coordinated voter-mobilisation (or, as critics put it, “ferrying”) effort is under way.
Allegations of organised “ferrying” have shadowed the campaign for weeks and feature in a broader set of claims that some aspirants and their backers are trying to tilt the nomination in their favour. Media outlets and local blogs had already been reporting claims of an alleged rigging plot and accusations that powerbrokers were influencing the primaries.
Crucially, these accusations remain unverified. Moses Omondi — named in social and broadcast coverage — has publicly dismissed claims that he is a project of any national figure and has denied plans to disrupt or manipulate the process, describing the assertions as attempts by opponents to discredit him.
Multiple Aspirants, High Stakes — The Broader Context
The Ugunja by-election has attracted several aspirants vying to replace CS Wandayi and ODM’s ticket is viewed as tantamount to the parliamentary seat in this political terrain. National and county dynamics have intensified the primary: local news outlets and political trackers identify between seven to nine aspirants in the race, with a core group of frontrunners that includes Moses Omondi, Joseph Otieno Alur, Eng. ZB Owino and others. Analysts say the nomination is a strategic battleground for both local patronage networks and national party influence.
In the run-up to nominations, aspirants publicly accused party officials of favouring certain contestants, and at least one aspirant lodged formal complaints alleging co-ordinated manipulation. These grievances — aired in meetings and to the press — crystallise a recurring fear among rank-and-file supporters about backroom influence in delegate selection and results aggregation.
Observers and IEBC Presence — A Mixed Picture
Observers from civil society groups and representatives of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) were reported at several centres and at the Savanna Hotel tallying point. Their presence is meant to reassure delegates and voters about the integrity of the exercise; however, rival camps say observation alone will not be enough if the alleged voter movement or party official bias is not investigated and transparently addressed. Media coverage of ODM’s preparations suggests the party is treating these primaries as a high-stake precursor to the November by-election.
Editor’s Note: If you have breaking news or eyewitness material from any polling station in Ugunja today — photos, video, names of drivers or buses observed, or other evidence — please contact our investigative desk on 0733 602 750 (open 24 hours). All tips will be handled in strict confidence and may be used to corroborate or dispel the claims circulating locally.
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