This archive report was first published on 13 August 2019.
On Tuesday, Eliud Owalo, former campaign manager to Raila Odinga, announced his resignation from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Published on August 13, 2019, Owalo cited waning enthusiasm for the party in a letter to the Registrar of Political Parties, requesting his name be removed from the ODM register of members.
His resignation comes as the Kibra parliamentary by-election heats up, with several prominent ODM figures vying for the ticket.
Owalo had previously sought the ODM ticket in 2017 but lost to Ken Okoth, who was then the Kibra MP.
Although Owalo maintained that he was rigged out of the nominations, he did not challenge Okoth as an independent candidate.
As a close ally of ODM leader Raila Odinga, Owalo had served as campaign manager for Odinga's 2013 presidential election campaign.
It is speculated that Owalo may be planning to contest the Kibra parliamentary seat on a different party ticket, possibly with Musalia Mudavadi's ANC party, with which he has recently been associated.
Other notable figures eyeing the ODM ticket in Kibra include ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, former nominated Senator Elizabeth Ongoro, former Embakasi South MP Irshad Sumra, ODM youth leader Benson Musungu, and Ken Okoth's brother, Imran Okoth.
