Kisumu West Youth League Chairperson Kaliech Sam addressing the media./Faith Matete
ODM leaders in Kisumu West Constituency have strongly dismissed remarks made by Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda over the turnout at a recent political rally held in Kirembe, terming his statements as inflammatory and misleading.
In an interview in one of the national media outlets, Senator Ojienda claimed that leaders were given different amounts of money for mobilising for the party's mega rally held on May 31 at Kirembe grounds, Kisumu.
Speaking to the media, Kisumu West Youth League Chairperson Kaliech Sam said the senator’s comments suggesting that attendees were “rented crowds” were disrespectful and aimed at sowing division within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
“We want to categorically state that those statements are inflammatory. They are meant to pit leaders against the people they represent,” Sam said.
He argued that the crowd witnessed at the rally was organic and reflected longstanding loyalty to the party in the region, drawing parallels with past political gatherings.
“For the senator to purport that the people in Kirembe were a rented crowd has baffled us as party members. I think the senator is suffering from selective amnesia,” he added, referencing previous ODM rallies in the area.
Sam further called on the senator, who he described as a senior political leader, to exercise restraint in public remarks and avoid statements that could escalate tensions.
“When speaking, he must ensure his words are calibrated to avoid causing chaos or pandemonium. He should apologise to ODM members who turned out organically out of love for the party,” he said.
Another ODM official, Charles Juma Aduogo, the ODM Chairperson for Kisumu West Constituency, also dismissed the allegations, insisting that mobilisation for the rally followed established party structures from the grassroots level.
He said claims that attendees were paid were false and unsupported, adding that party mobilisation is coordinated through polling station units across the constituency.
“We have 85 polling stations in Kisumu West. Each polling station mobilised at least five people. If you do the calculation, party structures alone can bring in over 11,000 people,” he said.
Aduogo maintained that youth, women, and other party affiliates attended the rally voluntarily, stressing that ODM’s grassroots structures remain strong and active. He also criticised Ojienda’s political approach, arguing that effective leadership requires direct engagement with voters at the grassroots level rather than relying on selective political meetings.
“If you want votes, go to the people. Meet them at the grassroots. It is only them who will give you the mandate,” he said.
The leaders further accused the senator of attempting to create divisions within ODM, insisting that the party remains united and focused. “As ODM, we are united; we are strong,” Aduogo said, rallying supporters in a spirited defence of the party.
