Even before the party has recovered from the discovery of the mistake that it did at arriving at delegates' method as the methodology for nominating its presidential candidate, ODM is now confronted with a bigger problem. It is emerging that apart from the loopholes that might give party enemies an opportunity to infiltrate the party, the method might not be affordable for the party.
Although the party has not mentioned it in public, some of the party key members say the process is one of the key issues that has forced the party to go back to the drawing board for a cheaper nomination method. A party member who pleaded anonymity said the party cannot afford the process and the faster the party agrees on consensus the better. The party has not yet developed a budget estimate but pundits say that the process may cost the party more than one billion shillings.
As the party was deliberating over the method in Naivasha, kalonzo Musyoka a proponent of the delegates system and who at the time was a guest in a talk show, was asked about the cost of the nomination process. In his reply to his TV host, Musyoka was evasive only saying that the process could easily be funded by donors.
According to the system agreed in Naivasha, an Electoral College 2000 delegates per constituency will cast the ballot to determine who ODM flag-bearer becomes. Logistically, this will involve preparing 420,000 ballot papers that will be circulated in the 210 constituencies in the country.
It will also mean preparing ballot boxes to be distributed in all the sub locations countrywide. Then there will be need to hire and train elections staff for the process.
On Wednesday, professor Anyang' Nyong'o, the party secretary general, said that the party was still discussing the possibility of ODM Kenya going for the consensus method instead of the delegates system
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