Western: Leadership Wrangles Entangle Malava ODM Office

By Wakhungu Andanje

The recent Orange democratic grass root election in Malava sub county branch has gone south.

This is after two warring factions held different election and elected its officials purported to be the bonafide office bearers.

Bad is the situation that the two office bearers can hardly meet eye to eye after the recent branch polls that saw different factions elect John Iyadi Waluvengo and Meshack Were as their chairmen.

According to the embattled chairman John Iyadi, he is still in office legally and the purported coup witnessed in October last year that saw the office being taken over by one Joseph Sikolia alleging that Iyadi was incompetent and had lost party popularity.

Iyadi has maintained that the recent election was conducted by Saulo Shamala who was the returning officer mandated to conduct the polls unlike the rival party that did not have one identified and approved by the party.

“I want to categorically state here that I John Iyadi Waluvengo was and still is the dully elected Malava ODM branch chairman with approval from the county and national office and our names have already been delivered and accepted at the Orange house and we want to tell our members that there is only one office running the branch affairs hence they should shun the splinter group that is fighting to topple us from office for their own selfish means” he warned.

At the same time he continued to wonder how and why comes within a span of five months rival group have changed their leadership twice from Joseph Sikolia now to Meshack Were, pointing out that they themselves are also involved in leadership squabbles and termed them as not fit to hold the branch office.

“Let my competitors who are holding illegal and parallel election and announcing themselves as leaders know that both the county and national office only recognizes me and my team as the legal office holders.”

Iyadi who has been elected for the second time to head the Orange democratic movement (ODM) Malava branch promised to incorporate his political foes into making a one united party that will command a massive following come 2027.

On the other hand their chairman Meshack Were called for transparency and a fresh start that will rebrand the party to attract more members to vie for various seats in the coming 2027 polls.

“This is the new team which is tasked with reviving not only membership but trust and loyalty and win the lost members back and it has vowed traverse the sub county to ensure the party regains its lost glory” said Were.

The Were led office accused the alleged ousted chairman and its leadership of being selfish and not willing to help the party grow its numbers within the branch level and being mean with party resources meant to be dished out to the members.

ODM newly elected chairman Meshack Were who is heading the splinter group against the incumbent John Iyadi.BY WAKHUNGU ANDANJE

“Our party has been non-functional in Malava as the former chairman was using divide and rule to manage the office that saw a lot of supporters jump ship. It is through his bogus and uncivilized management that we failed to produce neither a member of the county assembly as well as an Mp despite Malava being a staunch ODM zone” added Were. 

In October last year a few weeks after the ODM county chairman who doubles as the Kakamega governor Fernandez Barasa officially opening the Malava branch office, a section of Malava orange democratic movement (ODM) supporters dethrone area party chairman John Waluvengo Iyadi terming him unfit to hold the office citing abuse of office among other misconduct as reasons.

The coup led by Joseph Sikolia the said the ousted chairman, Iyadi, had no leadership qualities and hence should vacate and give way to qualified leaders.

Members opposed to his leadership skills who turned up to witness the installation of the new office bearers were optimistic they will revamp the party popularity from the grass root levels.

They called on the county party chairman governor Fernandez Barasa to confirm the new office and work with them to strengthen the party ahead of 2027 polls.

They accused the embattled chairman of not working well with the office, and instead opting to handpick his cronies to serve under him, saying the move weakened the party terribly. 

They said the former chairman was not listening to their grievances affecting the party, and this has de-popularized the party within, forcing them to take charge.

They added that Malava is yet to start enjoying the fruits of ODM due to bad leadership.

As the two factions continue to lock horns over leadership, it will take the county and national office to move in and clear the air as who is the bonafide office bearers, but in the meantime all the two factions continues to call the shots as far as party matters is concerned.