Raila Tells Off Standard Newspaper Over Misleading Report On Kibra Nomination

ODM Party candidate in Kibra by-elections, Bernard Okoth, shows off his Orange party certificate.

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party Leader Raila Odinga has scolded The Standard newspaper after it ran a report indicating that he was unhappy with the Kibra Party primaries.

In a statement posted on the party’s social media account, the spokesperson of the Former Prime Minister Dennis Onyango said the Daily was misleading the public.

“Mr Odinga further urges party supporters to view reports by the Standard as part of the campaign of misinformation and propaganda, which will only intensify as competition formally kicks off, to create doubts, wars and divisions in the party over imaginary issues with a view to helping handpicked candidates for the Kibra seat,” read in part the statement by Onyango.

He urged the ODM Party supporters to ignore the report and stay put in supporting their candidate in the b-election.

The spokesperson went ahead and said that the Orange leader is privy to the challenges that were experienced during the party primaries and added that they were not premeditated to favour any candidate.

“Mr Odinga acknowledges that there were challenges in the nominations, with names missing from the voter register but those were not tailored or deliberately introduced to favour or disenfranchise any aspirant,” said Onyango in the statement.

ODM Party leader Raila Odinga in a press conference with his party members over the Kibra by-elections

The Standard newspaper in an article titled Raila’s fury over insider bungling of party poll, reported that the  ODM leader pressed top party officials on what transpired during the nominations.

The newspaper claimed that the party leader had a closed-door meeting with his officials on Tuesday last week where he demanded answers to claims of doctoring voter roll and corruption allegations.

“It is in the meeting – which lasted about an hour – where the well-orchestrated doctoring of the voter roll was laid bare, with some senior officials being implicated. Claims of money exchanging hands were also raised at the meeting,” reported the Standard.

The attack on the newspaper comes at the backdrop of DP Ruto’s previous altercation with the Daily after he lashed the publication on several occasions for publishing misleading information.

On September 1, the DP attacked the newspaper by tweeting: “Kenyans can see through standard media’s desperate gutter journalism lies of drama. JUBILEE is built on rock-solid philosophy and beliefs that no amount of scheming & propaganda can undermine.”

Five Days earlier he had attacked the newspaper by saying: “JUBILEE is under one leader Uhuru Kenyatta. The ‘wars’ are a figment of the fertile evil imaginations of the now notoriously desperate standard media’s warped & venomous logic.”

The newspaper has never defended itself in any of the occasions.

In the Kibra mini-polls, Bernard Okoth Imran, the brother to the late Ken Okoth, was declared the winner of the Orange Party primaries beating 9 aspirants.

He is facing off with ANC candidate Eliud Owalo, Jubilee Party candidate McDonald Mariga among many others.

The by-election is slated for November 7.

 

 

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