[Kisii Women representative Mary Otara in a past event. She has formally joined Jubilee Party after four years in ODM. Photo/Hivisasa.com]
ODM on Sunday suffered another blow in Kisii County after incumbent Women Representative Mary Otara defected to Jubilee Party.
Her defection now means the ODM party only remains with Richard Onyonka as the sitting MP representing the party after the other seven decamped to Jubilee.
She joins Senator Obure, Deputy Governor Joash Maangi and seven of the county's nine sitting MPs in the Jubilee camp.
South Mugirango MP Manson Nyamweya is also running for the governorship on a Kenya National Congress ticket.
At a teachers’ meeting called by Jubilee party leaders in Sameta, Bobasi Constituency, Ms Otara said lack of democratic space in ODM drove her decision to decamp to Jubilee.
“As a committed party member and leader elected on its ticket, I have always striven to remain loyal to ODM and Mr Raila Odinga. However, my position has become untenable due to lack of democratic space and the preference of favoured candidates for the seat which I know hold,” said the women rep.
She told participants at the meeting that her frustrations had grown
“Despite many provocations and incidents of mistreatment from some powerful political interests, I have tried for a long time to remain loyal to the party. Their decision to deny me a chance to vie for my seat on the party’s ticket was the last straw,” she said.
Her decision is seen as a reaction to nominated Senator Janet Ongera’s steady rise through the ODM pecking order in the region.
Senator Ongera who is the party’s minority Chief Whip in the Senate is currently in the prime position of frontrunner for the women rep after announcing her bid for the seat.
She has lately risen to prominence, being one of the main speakers whenever Cord leader Raila Odinga visits the region.
The defection of Ms Otara has put to rest speculation on her absence from recent ODM functions in Kisii.
Addressing the meeting, she said the unnamed political interests had betrayed her loyalty to the party by ignoring her efforts to widen its support base in the county.
Ms Otara used the analogy to a patient wife struggling to weather the storms and persevere a difficult marriage to explain her troubled times in ODM.
“When trouble started, I decided to persevere. But the man of the house did not appreciate my patience. Instead, he evicted my utensils, furniture and other personal effects from the house. Which other option did I have apart from leaving the home where I was no longer welcome?” she posed.
She asked teachers to support her reelection bid, saying the experiences of her husband, former Itiero Boys principal, had given her a taste of the challenges teachers were undergoing.
"As the wife to a teacher, I know many of the problems teachers are facing in their professional and capacities. I am therefore best placed to articulate your concerns and address your issues since I am one of you by association," she said.
Ms Otara said the women representatives' parliamentary term had been affected by the lack of funding from the national government in the first three years.
"We were unable to do much in terms of development due to the lack of a State kitty which we only got last year after a lengthy battle to legalize in Parliament," she said.
Ms Otara promised to work closely with JP officials to deliver the victory to President Kenyatta at the forthcoming polls.
She also affirmed her support for Senator Chris Obure's campaign for the governorship, saying he was the best candidate for the Kisii County seat.
"I stand with Senator Chris Obure, whose experience and abilities are best suited for the governorship. He will diligently fight for our county's interests," said Ms Otara.