ODM suffers cash setback ahead of grassroots polls

ODM has suffered a major financial hurdle days before its much-hyped grassroots elections.

The party is scheduled to hold ward elections across the country today and later at a majority of the 290 constituencies - for the branch leaders - from Wednesday.

These grassroots polls are seen as a critical step in reorganising the party’s internal structure ahead of the 2027 general election.

But the office of the Registrar of Political Parties has communicated to the outfit about a major funding slash – a move likely to affect key party’s activities.

ODM will thus not get Sh42 million from its initial budget, with the ORPP saying only Sh256 million will be available instead of the Sh298 million the party expected.

Party stalwarts say they were relying on the millions to help in logistical preparations for the national exercise.

The funding slash to political parties has impacted several outfits — but more so ODM, which relies heavily on these funds to run its vast political machinery.

Registrar Ann Nderitu on Friday delivered the bombshell informing the party to expect less from what they were initially entitled to.

“This is to inform that the Political Parties Fund budget has been revised through supplementary estimates No 2 of FY2024-25 from the earlier allocation of Sh1.4 billion to a revised allocation of Sh1.2 billion, hence a reduction of Sh200 million,” she said in a letter to ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna dated April1.

“Based on the revised allocation and taking into consideration that Sh223,749,984 has already been disbursed to your party up to the third-quarter of the FY 2024-25, the balance of Sh32,808,725 will be disbursed in the fourth quarter once received from the National Treasury.”

The development came at a time the party’s delegates across the country are gearing up for the delicate exercise, which has in the past ended up in chaos.

On Saturday, ODM leader Raila Odinga urged party delegates to uphold decorum during the grassroots elections.

He made the remarks during his address to the party’s faithful’s at an Eid Baraza function in Mombasa.

“When you conduct the party’s elections, I want them to be friendly and peaceful because this is your party. Do not shove your brother or fight anybody. We are all brothers and whoever gets elected is your brother and a member of our party,” Raila said.

On Friday, ODM’s National Elections Coordinating Committee (NECC) chairperson Emily Awita suspended elections in Embakasi East constituency over what she linked to numerous complaints from supporters.

“NECC has received a significant number of complaints from Embakasi East constituency. In order to address these concerns adequately, the elections scheduled for Monday, April 7 and Wednesday, April 9, in respect of Embakasi East constituency are hereby suspended,” Awita said in a statement.

Embakasi East represented in Parliament by Babu Owino now joins seven other electoral units where elections will not be held.

The others are Dagoretti North, Dagoretti South, Embakasi West, Kwale, Taita Taveta, Matayos and Nyando.

In the exercise, 77 party officials will be elected at subbranch and branch levels across the four committees – mainstream, women’s league, youth league and disability league.

In the mainstream, the positions up for grabs include chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary, deputy secretary, treasurer, deputy treasurer, organising secretary and his deputy.