Raila Odinga’s Political Chess Move Against Ruto As ODM Seeks To Punish Rebels
The expulsion of five ODM rebel members of parliament could have far-reaching effects on the ongoing crisis negotiations between President William Ruto and Opposition leader Raila Odinga, as both factions have stated that the development is relevant to the dialogue.
By expelling the legislators for their association with the ruling coalition, Mr. Odinga, whose party now seeks to remove the dissidents from membership in parliamentary committees, appeared to have set a trap for the President.
Non-interference with rival parties is one of the issues that the representatives of the two leaders are negotiating, and the ODM places the President in a catch-22 situation regarding the removal of rebel opposition legislators from parliamentary committees.
Mr. Odinga’s allies have warned that if the majority government-aligned MPs thwart the Orange party’s moves in Parliament, it will be a sign that the President is not devoted to the ongoing talks, and if ODM gets its way, the rebels will accuse the government of betraying them in their hour of need.
Similarly, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua used the expulsion of ODM lawmakers to accuse Mr. Odinga of insincerity regarding the dialogue.
“This man (Mr. Odinga) is not genuine about any dialogue or discussion because if he did, he would not be punishing his MPs who visit the President seeking development,” he said at the funeral service for the son of Kipkelion MP Joseph Cherorot in Kericho on Friday, September 9.
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Mr. Odinga, however, accused the errant members of derailing the opposition, while his associates announced that the next step would be to expel the expelled MPs from the parliamentary committees that the party sponsored them for.
The former prime minister stated that President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza must respect the ideologies, the Constitution, and the rules of competing political parties to develop. In addition, he instructed leaders elected on the party ticket to either toe the line and remain loyal to the party, or to resign and run for reelection.
“They claim to have gone there to seek development. But the reality is that they were for their gain. All development initiatives should be channeled through the National Assembly,” said Mr. Odinga. “We cannot operate as if we are in a market where everyone does his or her activities. Our party should have disciplined members.”
Yesterday, at the Maranatha Faith Assembly grounds in Migori town, the ODM leader stated that party members must adhere to the established rules.
The political negotiations to resolve the post-election crisis of 2022 will discuss “Fidelity to Political Parties/Coalitions and the Law on Multiparty Democracy: Preventing Interference with Political Parties/Coalitions” after allegations that Kenya Kwanza was behind the squabbles within the Jubilee Party and attempted to oust former President Uhuru Kenyatta from the party’s leadership.
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Additionally, the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition has accused Dr. Ruto of bribing some of their legislators. In the recent past, the opposition has accused Speakers Moses Wetang’ula (National Assembly) and Amason Kingi (Senate) of impeding Minority leadership changes.
To replace Senator Fatuma Dullo of Isiolo as the Minority’s whip, the Minority caucused in cycles in the Senate. Finally, she was replaced. Jubilee’s efforts to replace nominated MP Sabina Chege as Deputy Minority Whip in the National Assembly are still unresolved following a contentious battle in the House and a subsequent court order.
Elisha Odhiambo (Gem), Caroli Omondi (Suba South), Gideon Ochanda (Bondo), Phelix Odiwuor (Lang’ata), and Tom Ojienda (Kisumu) were expelled from the ODM. The party is currently removing their identities from its membership roster.
Opiyo Wandayi, the leader of the minority in the National Assembly, told PoliticalPulseChat that it was infeasible for the expelled members to continue accruing benefits extended to them as ODM members.
“Once they are expelled by the party, they must be cut off from any benefits extended to them by being members of ODM. They have to leave all party-sponsored positions,” he said. “That process will start as soon as possible because their continued holding of those positions is no longer attainable.”
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Minority Whip Junet Mohamed stated that the Minority House leadership will consult on the matter before implementing any potential modifications.
According to the Standing Orders of Parliament, a member must serve on at least one House committee. This implies that ODM will be required to position them in at least one committee so long as they continue serving pending appeal processes.
In the previous legislature, Speaker Justin Muturi (currently the Attorney General) ruled: “It is therefore clear that the Committee on Selection has the authority to nominate members to serve on at least one or more committees.”
ODM has the option of relegating members to inactive committees and promoting loyal members to lucrative committee positions. Prof. Ojienda is the vice chairman of the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee of the Senate.
Senator Samson Cherargei of Nandi stated on Friday that any attempts by the Minority to change committee membership in bad faith would be thwarted.
He stated that their responsibility is to prevent the opposition from degenerating into a dictatorship.
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“You have to bring a motion to the floor to change committee membership. If they do it in bad faith, they will be frustrated. Parliament is an independent institution whose operations should not be interfered with by petty party politics.” But ODM chairman John Mbadi said the Orange party does not expect any form of frustration in punishing the rebels.
“There should be respect from the other side. ODM has the right to make changes in the committees and we do not expect any frustrations because that would be misbehavior,” Mr. Mbadi said.
Godfrey Osotsi, senator of Vihiga, stated that rebel members should be concerned about the timing of their expulsion.
He stated that Dr. Ruto has nothing to lose if he chooses not to defend them against the purge.
“One of the agenda items in the talks is interference in political parties. If Ruto tries to help them, he would be undermining the talks. The timing of their expulsion is critical.”
Recently, Jubilee officials demanded that Ms. Chege resign as Deputy Minority Whip to demonstrate Kenya Kwanza’s commitment to the negotiations. The officials suspect that Dr. Ruto was involved in the attempted coup within the erstwhile ruling party.
Mark Mwenje, an MP from Embakasi West, was chosen by Jubilee to replace Ms. Chege, but she went to court to prevent her removal.
Raila Odinga’s Political Chess Move Against Ruto As ODM Seeks To Punish Rebels