On March 18, 1995, chaos erupted at Thika Stadium in Kenya involving Raila Odinga, who was the Lang’ata Member of Parliament at the time, and Kijana Wamalwa, who served as the Vice Chairman of FORD Kenya.
This incident took place during the FORD Kenya party elections, held to replace Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who had passed away in January 1994, as chairman.
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Both Raila Odinga, who was Langata Member of Parliament, and Michael Kijana Wamalwa, who was Jaramogi’s deputy and First Vice Chairman, were vying for the party leadership.
At the time of the party elections, Raila Odinga had limited support from the upper echelons of the party leadership, most of whom favored Kijana Wamalwa’s leadership.
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Raila Odinga and Wamalwa’s Supporters Clash at Thika Stadium
The elections were overseen by Gideon Ochanda, who is currently the Bondo Member of Parliament, and the late Manases Kuria, the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Archbishop.
Reports indicate that the event turned chaotic due to disputes over the delegate list. In a past interview with the Standard, Audi Ogada, a former head of Wamalwa’s security team, revealed that Raila’s supporters had spent the night at the stadium, locking the gates by 4 a.m. to control access.
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“The pro-Raila delegates spent the night at the stadium, and by 4 a.m., they had locked the gates. When we arrived in a large convoy that included the presiding officers, we could not get into the stadium,” Ogada stated.
It is reported that chaos began when Wamalwa’s team, including the presiding officers, arrived, and they were denied entry, which sparked tension.
This prompted Ogada to break the gate, which was closed with an axe, escalating the situation.
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Inside the stadium, Raila was on the dais with his allies, while Wamalwa’s supporters, backed by MPs like James Orengo, were also present.
The confrontation led to violence; police fired shots, and one delegate was hit in the leg. Raila’s aide, Okoth Otura, pinned him down to shield him from potential harm.
At the time of the chaos, Ogada was wielding his axe to protect Wamalwa and prevent an assault on Archbishop Kuria, who was presiding over the election.
Even though there was chaos, elections still occurred, and Wamalwa emerged as chairman. Raila protested and rejected the election results, claiming there was rigging.
He expressed deep dissatisfaction with the process and the outcome. He criticized the elections as being marred by irregularities and manipulation.
Odinga Resigns from FORD Kenya
After feeling betrayed by the party, Odinga resigned from Ford Kenya in 1996 and formed the National Development Party (NDP) and subsequently lost his Lang’ata seat.
“The time has come to change course. I wish to inform you that I have resigned as a member of FORD Kenya. I hereby tender my resignation as a Member of Parliament,” said Odinga at the time of his resignation.
After his resignation as an MP, he used his NDP party to contest for the Langata parliamentary seat in a by-election and eventually won the seat.
Later on, Odinga vied for the Presidency in 1997, igniting his rivalry with Kijana Wamalwa, who also vied for the presidency. In that election, Odinga emerged third with 667,886 and Kijana Wamalwa fourth with 505,704.
To date, Odinga is the only Kenyan Politician to have resigned from a political seat and been reelected in a by-election.
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