Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, released ground rules ahead of the much-awaited grassroots elections.
In a statement, ODM gave out strict instructions to candidates and its members taking part in the polls starting on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.
The opposition party which is in a broad-government arrangement with President William Ruto’s administration, indicated that all polling stations would be opened by 10:00 am.
Presiding officers will then inform the members of how the elections will be conducted. ODM informed its members that the elections would be through consensus or through voting by showing hands.
“The Presiding Officer to confirm party members by keying their Identity Card numbers in the system. Only registered party members whose details will be verified in the system will be eligible to vote. The exercise will be conducted by the Presiding Officers and end at 2:00 pm,” ODM’s statement read in part.
“Candidates for the various positions in the elections have up to midnight today (Tuesday 26/11/24) to register through the portal. They must submit all their details plus the position they are contesting at that level (Polling Centre). They will then be allowed to contest,” it added.
Positions up for grabs
According to ODM, candidates will contest for 10 mainstream positions within the party. Women League and Youth League have all been allocated 10 positions each in the grassroots elections.
However, ODM made it clear that people living with various disabilities should be considered in all contestable positions.
Further, the party announced that individuals from marginalised communities must also be considered in the polls.
“Once the election is completed, the PO shall feed the results in the elections portal and submit the hard copy to the County Returning Officer for onward transmission to the National Elections Coordinating Committee (NECC) in Nairobi for approval and recording,” ODM made it clear.
The steps are aimed at making the process seamless and transparent. New officials led by acting party chairperson Anyang Nyong’o will have a real test with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga missing in the picture due to his African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship bid.
4/5 Contestable positions:
— The ODM Party (@TheODMparty) November 26, 2024
-Mainstream – 10 people
-Women League – 10 people
-Youth League – 10 people
In all categories, members must consider Persons Living with Disabilities (PwD) and also Persona from Marginalized groups ie Minorities in the community.
