ODM disbands elections board

ODM leader Raila Odinga. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has disbanded its National Election Board (NEB), a radical reform that will see party elections devolved to the grassroots.

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna on Wednesday announced a two-tier election management system at the county and national levels.

In the radical reform, a Coordinating Committee reporting directly to the Central Committee will oversee national party elections, a move the ODM Secretary General said was "geared towards improving efficiency, promoting greater credibility and empowering the grassroots to play a more central role in the spirit of devolution which the Party holds dear".

"For the sake of continuity and institutional memory, the party will retain two members of the defunct NEB in the new Coordinating Committee at the national level, namely Richard Tairo and Emily Awita. The Central Committee has proposed Beatrice Askul, from Turkana County to be the third member of the committee. Emily Awita is proposed to chair the committee. These proposals shall be presented to the relevant organs for ratification in accordance with the Party constitution," Sifuna said in a statement issued after a meeting of the party's Central Committee.

Party elections have been a hot potato subject for many political parties over the years, often turning violent and leading to disenfranchisement. The Raila Odinga-led ODM has had a share of such incidents in the past.

The party plans a series of recruitment activities across counties, with Sifuna lamenting that budget cuts affecting political funding were hampering party operations.

"The regime cut funds allocated to parties by over 60 per cent. This year the onslaught has continued with further cuts. This is a clear demonstration of the regime's intent to cripple all key institutions of democracy from Parliament to the Judiciary to the political parties. We shall however not wait on the benevolence of our tormentors. We shall trudge on as we know their intentions are to stall our activities and operations and return the country to a single-party dictatorship," said the Nairobi Senator.

At the same time, Sifuna said they will support the report of the National Dialogue Committee (Nadco), after 18 of ODM's proposals were adopted and constituted the bulk of the report.

Among the proposals include reducing the "ballooning travel budget, increasing of minimum shareable revenue to counties and fast-tracking of legislation related to the war against corruption," all of which he termed "a good start."

The Senate deputy Minority Whip said the party would push for initiatives to lower the cost of living, a subject slighted by the committee that has recently divided the opposition Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya top leadership.

"We are alive to the suffering and despondency of the common mwananchi, and it is heartbreaking that the Kenya Kwanza team refused to budge on the most critical issues facing Kenyans, including the glaring one of cost of living. Our proposals on zero-rating taxes on basic food items, reverting turnover tax to rates in Finance Act 2022 and scrapping of the Housing Levy were rejected by Kenya Kwanza."

"These are the "imperfect and unfinished" portions, and we owe a moral duty to Kenyans to keep the flames of the struggle alive until we are all free from the bondage of dictatorship. In the meantime and noting the significant gains from the process we as ODM and in line with the earlier resolution of the Azimio PG, support the Nadco report as is."

In the statement, Sifuna also warned that President William Ruto intends to weaken institutions to reduce scrutiny on his regime, citing his recent attacks on the Judiciary.

"Recent utterances by Mr Ruto, threatening the independence of the Judiciary, however, will not surprise those who know and understand Ruto, his history and his politics. It is obviously in the interest of Mr Ruto to have a weak Judiciary, weak national institutions and weak scrutiny of his regime. We are here to remind him that the Judiciary remains the last line of defence for Kenyans, against his kakistocracy," the Nairobi Senator said.

Sifuna challenged the president to table evidence of corruption in the Judiciary, warning that his utterances risk denting Kenya's image to investors.

"What's worse is his failure to realize the damage his repeated unsubstantiated allegations against the Judiciary is doing to the image and standing of our Country in the Community of Nations. As he burns taxpayer money jetting around the world purportedly seeking foreign investors, its totally lost on him what these grave allegations and his threats to disobey court orders do to the psyche of anyone thinking of investing here. Investors will not put their money where they know orders of a court will not be respected in the event of a dispute regarding their investment," he said.

"With his presidency, having hinged much on a judgment that essentially makes it a "product" of the courts, you would imagine that Ruto would have both the magnanimity and the good sense to extend goodwill, or at the very least, to leave constitutional organs to function without attempting to emasculate them."