Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has claimed that he and his allies were removed from the ODM leadership WhatsApp group following their political tour of Kitale, saying the move signals that the party leadership has sidelined them.
Sifuna said the latest developments, including planned changes to Senate committee leadership, show that the party has turned against them.
According to the senator, a motion was introduced in the Senate to remove Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi from the chairmanship of the County Public Investments Committee, while he is set to be removed from the County Public Accounts Committee.
Sifuna said he is expected to be reassigned to the Fisheries Committee, a move he believes some party leaders view as punishment.
“It is clear that those in the ODM leadership are done with us. There is a motion that was brought to the Senate to effect further changes to remove Senator Osotsi as the chair of the County Public Investments Committee. They’re going to remove me from the County Public Accounts Committee. They’re sending me to the Fisheries Committee, which they think is a punishment. But I actually need to learn about agriculture and fisheries and the blue economy because of the coming assignments,” Sifuna said.
“After we finished our rally in Kitale, I just saw us being removed from the ODM WhatsApp group, it is not me who is leaving; they kicked us out.”
Sifuna maintained that he had remained committed to defending the party but said their efforts had been frustrated
He added that he had honoured a promise made to his political mentor not to destabilise the party.
"We have tried to fight for the soul of the ODM party, but we are getting dangerously close to the elections, and it’s clear that our colleagues in the party have no time for us. I have kept my promise to my boss not to wreck his party. He has seen that it is they who have come after us. They have stripped us of all the things he gave us," Sifuna said.
The senator said attempts to resolve internal disputes through dialogue had failed, alleging that agreements reached in discussions were later overturned by directives from elsewhere.
Despite the fallout, Sifuna said he and his allies would now shift their focus to preparations for the next General Election under the Linda Mwananchi movement.
"We are getting into the election period proper. The belief, trust and expectation that has been placed upon us in Linda Mwananchi does not allow us to mourn for too long for the things that we have lost. Our responsibility is to get organised so that we do not let these people down and focus on the future," he said.
