Eva Nyambura
IEBC has cleared former Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) boss Pavel Oimeke to contest the Bonchari parliamentary by-election.
He is running for the seat on an ODM party ticket.
The Raila Odinga-led party settled for Oimeke through consensus after he and Billy Momanyi, who made a failed attempt to clinch the seat in 2017, could not agree on who should shelve their ambitions.
“In our new rules, we try to reach a consensus. As NEB, we recommended that the party’s central committee decides the person to fly the party’s ticket,” said ODM’s National Elections Board chairperson Catherine Muma.
Read: Epra Boss Pavel Oimeke Quits Amid Corruption Allegations
Party secretary-general Edwin Sifuna said Oimeke was the candidate to restore glory for the party.
Oimeke, who served as Director-General for four years, has an ongoing court case over bribery allegations. According to the Ethics and anti-corruption Commission (EACC), Oimeke received a bribe of Ksh200,000 to approve the reopening of a fuel station in Oyugis, Homa Bay County, which the authority had closed.
Oimeke’s first term at the helm expired on August 1, 2020, but he secured another three-year term on July 27 the same year.
Read Also: EPRA Boss Pavel Oimeke Arrested After Allegedly Receiving Sh200,000 Bribe
However, a petitioner, Emannuel Wanjala, moved to court to block his re-appointment, accusing him of nefarious practices including colluding with illegal LPG dealers, nepotism, tribalism, and favoritism.
In her ruling, Justice Hellen Wasilwa dismissed Wanjala’s petition for lack of merit, demanding his immediate reinstatement.
