ODM Announces Dates for Party Primaries Ahead of Upcoming By-Elections

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has announced that party primaries for parliamentary and ward positions will be held between Wednesday, September 24, and Saturday, September 27, 2025.
In a statement issued by its National Elections Coordinating Committee (NECC) chairperson Emily Awita on Friday, September 12, ODM advised candidates seeking the party’s ticket to take note of the set datesahead of the planned by-elections on November 27.
The information followed a call for applications issued on September 1 to aspiring candidates seeking the party’s ticket in 13 constituencies and wards.
Constituencies listed included Ugunja and Kasipul, with the wards being Chewani, Kisa East, Purko, Angata Nyanyokie, Narok Town, Lake Zone, Namaan, Ekerengo, Nyamalya, Nyansiongo, and Kariobangi North.
Awita noted that they had received applications in all constituencies listed except Mumbuni Ward in Machakos County.
She further revealed that candidates in Magarini Constituency and Fafi Ward were awarded direct tickets by the party. This meant that Magarini Member of Parliament Harrison Kombe, whose election had been nullified, would be free to seek election again on an ODM ticket.
Awita also noted that candidates in Chewani, Kisa East Purko, Angata Nyanyokie, and Namaan Wards had no opponents and were therefore given certificates confirming their direct tickets to seek election.
Two weeks to the primaries, Awita assured aspirants that theprocess would be free, fair, transparent, and credible.
A vacancy in the Ugunja seat arose after incumbent Opiyo Wandayiwas appointed as the Cabinet Secretary for Energy by President William Ruto.Meanwhile, the Kasipul seat fell vacant after incumbent Charles Ong’ondo Were was gunned down by unknown assailants.
Vacancies in the ward seats arose after incumbent Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) died due to illness, road accidents, or murders. However, the Nyansiongo and Ekerenyo seats were declared vacant after the incumbents lost their seats for absenteeism.
Party primaries are internal elections that political parties use to decide who will represent them in a general election or by-election.
In the voting process, parties may use either universal suffrage (all registered party members vote) or a delegate system (a selected group votes). Voting is conducted at polling stations set up by the party, using either ballot papers or electronic systems.
Votes are counted and tallied by the party’s election board, after which the winner is declared the party’s official nominee for that elective seat. Losers who feel aggrieved can file complaints with the party’s internal tribunal or the electoral commission, and in some cases, courts may also intervene.
Once the process is concluded, parties submit the names of successful candidates to the national electoral body, such as the IEBC, for inclusion on the ballot.