Former Ugenya MP David Ochieng at a past event. [Photo/ standardmedia.co.ke]
Former Ugenya MP David Ochieng Ouma must fight tooth and nail to make a political comeback in future after the August 8, 2017, debacle.The youthful politician inherited the seat from James Orengo who vied for the Siaya senator seat. To Ochieng, fitting into Orengo's political shoes was a daunting task considering the latter's stature in the political arena.During his tenure, the lawmaker was determined to change the face of Ugenya. Using development as a platform to springboard his future political ambitions, the University of Nairobi-trained lawyer was determined to stay long enough in the country's murky political scene. For instance, the first ever Teachers Training College and Medical Training College in Ugenya were constructed during his tenure. However, his troubles within ODM started almost immediately and he would go on to battle the 'Jubilee mole' tag for the next three years, something that cost him his seat.In the run-up to the planned ODM elections in 2014, Ochieng declared interest to vie for a leadership position in the Raila Odinga-led party. A group of 'young turks' was determined to wrestle leadership of the party from the 'old guard'. However, with the top party leadership determined to give the outfit a national outlook, they were prevailed upon to drop their bids.In the run to the 2017 election, Ochieng was facing a fierce battle to secure the ODM ticket. His bitter rival was businessman Chris Karan.While accusing the party of allegedly planning to deny him the ticket, the lawmaker ditched the outfit for little-known Movement for Growth and Democracy. This, however, was not enough to save him. Ochieng lost to Karan but has since challenged his win in court.Whatever happens, Ochieng's political future is pegged on his next move on the political chessboard.