Nyatike MP Tom Odege. [Photo/OdegeTom]
The High Court in Homa Bay has dismissed an election petition filed against Nyatike MP Tom Odege.
Judge Joseph Karanja ruled Odege was validly elected in August 2017.
The petitioner Fredrick Odiso had filed the petition seeking the nullification of Odege’s win claiming there were massive irregularities and affected the integrity of the results that were used to declare Odege as validly elected.
The High Court sitting in Homabay has however dismissed the petition as lacking merit, a decision that will now be a relief on the former Trade Unionist.
On December 12th, 2017, the Judge ordered for a recount of votes from 53 polling stations in Nyatike constituency with regards to the petition. The vote recount results revealed that Odege had 10,222 against Ogenga’s 9,923, creating a difference of 299 votes.
The Judge stated that the petitioner failed to prove that the errors and irregularities he noticed were enough to affect the final results.
Justice Karanja dismissed the petition and ordered each party to bear their own costs. In the August election, Odege was declared the winner with 26, 872 against Ogenga’s 22, 815 votes.