Kenya: Mayor Mohdhar Wants ODM Polls Put Off

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

Brian Otieno

24 June 2011

The ODM grassroots elections may be postponed for the fourth time to allow ODM councillors in Mombasa to concentrate on their mayoral and committee elections.

About 32 Mombasa councillors led by mayor Ahmed Mohdhar appealed to the party to postpone the elections until after August. “It will be cumbersome for our supporters to participate in the party polls and the local authorities polls simultaneously,” Mohdhar said.

ODM’s national elections board secretary Dr Joseph Misoi, who had set July 1 to July 5 as the dates for the elections, said the elections are flexible. “I have not officially received any request for any postponement but if they feel they have good reason for the postponement, then they should officially write to us,” said Misoi.

Mohdhar, who is campaigning for his re-election said the set election dates may interfere with his programme which runs between July 1 and August 15 when the mayoral elections will be held.

Misoi however said there is enough time for the ODM councilors in Mombasa to strategise and be elected to the committee posts without having their chances in the party elections interfered with. “The elections will not necessarily run on the same day. I think they have enough time to organise themselves because the council campaigns run until August 15,” Misoi said.

Local Government minister Musalia Mudavadi instructed that all local authorities countrywide conduct their elections by August 15. ODM has already postponed their grassroots elections three times leading to speculation from rival parties that the ODM officials fear conducting their elections because the party’s popularity is waning.

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