ODM Defends Removal Of Edwin Sifuna As Secretary-General Following NEC Resolution
Politics Updated: 22 June 2026 20:03 EAT
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ODM party.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has defended its decision to remove Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna from his position as Secretary-General, saying the move followed internal disciplinary procedures and constitutional provisions adopted by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
Addressing the press after the NEC meeting held at Orange House, party officials said members had met to deliberate on both national and internal party matters before reaching a series of resolutions.
Among the resolutions adopted, ODM called for faster implementation of compensation for victims of alleged excessive use of police force as recommended under the NADCO report, while insisting on transparency and full involvement of relevant institutions.
“One: that the process of compensating victims of excessive force by the police, as provided for in the NADCO report, should be done expeditiously, judiciously, and with proper details of the persons and families being compensated. The ODM party should be fully involved in the exercise to ensure transparency.”
The NEC also directed the National Elections Coordinating Committee (NECC) to expedite conclusion of pending internal elections in a few areas where disputes had already been resolved, paving the way for preparations toward the National Delegates Convention.
“The National Executive Committee directed the National Elections Coordinating Committee (NECC) to move with speed and conclude elections in the few isolated areas across the country where disputes were recorded and have been resolved. This will pave way for the party to start preparing for the National Delegates Convention.”
On the party leadership question, NEC members said they received and reviewed a report from the Internal Dispute Resolution Committee (IDRC), which had been established under provisions of the ODM constitution to investigate and determine complaints involving Sifuna in his role as Secretary-General.
The committee subsequently adopted the findings and recommendations presented by the disciplinary structures.
“After going through the report and the findings of the IDRC under Article 74, Section 2 of the party constitution, the NEC unanimously resolved to adopt the committee's recommendation and endorsed the removal from office of Senator Edwin Sifuna. Effectively, Senator Sifuna ceases to be the Secretary-General of the ODM party.”
ODM further relied on previous remarks attributed to the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) to support its position that internal party disciplinary mechanisms should be respected unless there are compelling legal grounds for intervention.
“In defending its position on the matter, the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) had this to say: ‘The day any official of a party becomes above the law, so to speak, will be the day of the funeral of political party democracy in Kenya. If such a situation were to occur, this tribunal would never sanction the same by law.’”
Questions were however raised during the media briefing over concerns that Sifuna may not have been accorded an opportunity to defend himself before the decision was reached.
“That is the ruling, but the court did say that the Senator was ousted unheard. I don't know if this procedure considered such a move, or maybe was he given a right to share his side of the story?”
In response, ODM maintained that procedural fairness had been observed and insisted that Sifuna was given adequate opportunity to respond to the allegations through legal representation.
“As the National Executive Committee, we were presented by a report of our Internal Disciplinary Committee, and in that report, they made it very clear that they had given ample opportunity to Senator Edwin Sifuna to respond, and he actually responded through his lawyers, Senior Counsel Otiende Amollo.”
Party officials said the disciplinary process therefore complied with internal procedures and rejected assertions that the former Secretary-General had been denied a hearing before the resolution was adopted.
According to ODM, the decision marks the conclusion of the internal disciplinary phase even as political and legal scrutiny around the matter continues.
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