Orange Democratic Movement Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has clarified that the opposition party has not joined the Kenya Kwanza government.
Speaking on Thursday, June 25, Sifuna stated that the nomination of four ODM members to the cabinet was done without the party’s endorsement.
Sifuna explained that ODM Chairman John Mbadi, National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi, Ali Hassan Joho, and Wycliffe Oparanya had direct discussions with President William Ruto to join the cabinet.
The Nairobi Senator emphasized that for ODM to officially join Kenya Kwanza, there must be a formal agreement document between ODM party leader Raila Odinga and Ruto.
“The position that we gave in the statement that I issued two days ago is that they are going to join government in their individual capacities, and we don’t begrudge them but for you to say that ODM has joined government, you have to show me a document,” Sifuna said.
Raila Didn’t Bless the 4
Sifuna maintained that Raila did not present the names to President Ruto, as reported by certain media outlets.
He noted that Raila would not have presented a list of only men, nor would he have chosen Wandayi, which would subject the party to a by-election campaign.
“If Raila was asked to present names of people who are capable of turning around this country and address the issues raised by Gen Z, the Raila that I know would not present four names of all men and two from one region in a party as diverse as ODM. This is not a decision of Raila, it is a decision made between these members and the president himself,” he said.
Also Read: Raila’s Men Who Have Been Picked to Join Ruto’s Cabinet
Sifuna cited Mbadi, nominated as the National Treasury CS, as an example, stating he will have difficulty implementing the Kenya Kwanza manifesto.
He stressed that while President Ruto may have chosen Mbadi, the ODM party did not select him to represent them in the cabinet.
“If he has been having conversations with Mbadi, you will not have me say anything about Mbadi. But he will tell you, there is no resolution of the ODM party for him to join government. He has been tapped by Ruto, and he accepted.”
“What manifesto are these people going to implement? I heard the president saying they are going to implement the bottom-up economic manifesto. I can assure you Mbadi has no idea of what bottom-up is because he is a member of ODM. We need to have a conversation first to have a document that says this is what we are going to do and the priority areas.”
Also Read: 12 Former CSs Left Out in Ruto’s Final List
Sifuna Calls for Their Resignation
Additionally, Sifuna asserted that the four must resign from their positions in ODM before vetting, as required by law.
According to him, the resolutions passed by the ODM joint PG and NEC did not include joining the Ruto government.
“I expect that by the end of the day before they go for vetting, we will receive the resignation of these people from their positions in the party because they can’t go into the cabinet as members of a party,” Sifuna said.
He maintained that ODM leaders have consistently called for a national conversation to address the issues raised by Generation Z and other concerned citizens.
Sifuna said Raila reiterated this stance during the meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
He criticized the media stating that it has narrowed this broader call for dialogue into a supposed negotiation between UDA and ODM, which is not the party’s intent.
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