Why Treasury CS Mbadi wants Sifuna expelled from ODM

National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi during a funds drive at Kisaku Primary School in Suba South Constituency. [James Omoro, Standard]

National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi now wants the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leadership to expel the party Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna and his allies.

Mbadi accused Sifuna and his team of being defiant to the party leader, Oburu Oginga.

This follows the decision by Sifuna and his allies, who include Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Siaya Governor James Orengo alongside a number of legislators, to hold parallel rallies to criticise the party’s decision to negotiate a pre-election pact with with President William Ruto’s UDA party.

The Sifuna-led faction has devised a campaign strategy dubbed ‘Linda Mwanachi’ to deflate the plan by the ODM leadership to have a pact with UDA.

The strategy is countering Linda Ground, another campaign strategy spearheaded by Oburu and the national party chairperson, Gladys Wanga.

According to Mbadi, Sifuna and his allies should no longer be tolerated by the party leadership.

He argued that they should have quit the party long ago, from the time they began feeling dissatisfied with the party's position.

“There must be unity in a political party for everybody to support a direction given by the leadership for achievement of our goals. But what Sifuna and his group are doing is wrong. They should have walked out of the party several weeks ago,” Mbadi said.

“Let the ODM party leadership expel Sifuna and his group so that we move on harmoniously.”