Some time in January 2013, I was on a short trip to New York and later Washington, D.C., where I also had the privilege of attending President Obama’s 2nd Inauguration into Office. Back home, ODM parliamentary nominations exercise was hotly on. Mbita had a false start due to vested interests by County leadership. Personal Assistant to the Prime Minister yes I was, but Mbita being my home, I definitely watched keenly and naturally, had interest.
On incessant phone calls, I joined in petitioning the Top Party Leadership for a repeat of the exercise, which request was granted. It was also authorised, on our request, that a neutral Returning Officer be appointed, instant. Man of God, Protector of Orphans, Widows and the Down-trodden, Br. Naphtaly Mattah, was appointed to oversee a more delicate exercise.
See, Millie Grace was nominated in a free and fair exercise that saw her 1st runners-up trail way way down. This was democracy at practice. I joined our People, The folks of Mbita, and the Change Movement Mbita Sub-branch, in celebrating the people’s voice. Their will. Punitive international roaming rates could not hinder a celebratory phone chat with ODM nominee for Mbita seat, Millie Mabona for several minutes on air.
But alas, no sooner had our throats calmed down after the chat, than I saw Millie’s 3 missed call alerts on my Kenyan line. I called back. There was a big problem already. For reasons we could not understand, the ODM Certificate was already issued in another person’s names at the Headquarters. Millie was still down in Mbita.
Millie was shaky on phone. I asked her 2 three questions but there was obvious and understandable incoherence in her response, as to what transpired after the declaration was made in public at Mbita Point. My heart fell right at the belly of my tummy. I was profoundly distraught and asked my cousin, who I was with at the moment as I was heading out of the US – Daniel Oyugi, to help me get an international calling card because we faced ‘danger’ back home with what Millie told me and I needed to make some urgent calls to Nairobi. At the end, as I was boarding, we had hopes yet again that the real genuine Certificate would be re-issued in Millie’s names.
On arrival in Dubai, I got 4 missed calls from Millie, and two text messages that made my heart miss a couple of beats. The Certificate had again been issued in my Big Bro and friend, Pharesh Ratego’s names. I called Millie; she was sobbing on the other side of the line. I told her; “Nyasuba, we’ve done our best. The people did their bit. I know Jakom is busy with the campaigns and many things are prone to happen behind his back. I will immediately reach out and get back”. I did. I called her back and told her I’d talked with the Party Leader. I also asked her to join Jakom in Kitui same day for direct briefs, Re: Mbita, and assured her that Jakom’s word would prevail – the winner was to be issued with the Certificate.
What this meant was that at one time in between, Millie held a certificate* which was overtaken in between by that which was later issued fraudulently to number 2. These are facts.
It took Prime Minister Odinga’s direct intervention to restore her names and cause the same to be printed on the Genuine Certificate, finally.
By Silas Jakakimba
-kenya-today.com
