A fresh court battle is brewing in ODM after allies of Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna announced plans to challenge the party’s latest decision to remove him as Secretary General.
In a statement released on Tuesday morning, the Linda Mwananchi movement said it had instructed its lawyers to move to court over the decision taken by ODM’s National Executive Committee (NEC), arguing that the process was flawed and violated the party’s constitution.
The group said the latest attempt to remove Sifuna closely resembles the one that was challenged earlier this year and later stopped by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT).
“After consultation with our legal teams earlier this morning, it has been decided to once again test the propriety of the purported ouster in the courts,” the statement said.
The dispute comes just months after the PPDT ruled that ODM had violated Sifuna’s right to a fair hearing during an earlier disciplinary process that sought to remove him from office.
The tribunal nullified the process but allowed the party to begin fresh proceedings provided they complied with the law and the party’s internal rules.
Sifuna, who has in recent months emerged as one of the sharpest critics of the broad-based arrangement between ODM and President William Ruto’s administration, has maintained that attempts to remove him are politically motivated.
The latest move is likely to deepen tensions within ODM, where differences have continued to emerge over the party’s relationship with the Kenya Kwanza government.
In the same statement, Linda Mwananchi announced the postponement of its Kisii and Keroka rallies that had been scheduled for June 26, saying members would instead join commemorations for victims of the June 2024 Gen Z protests.
However, attention is now expected to shift to the courts, where another legal contest over Sifuna’s future at the helm of ODM’s secretariat appears imminent.
If the case proceeds, it will be the second time this year that the party’s handling of Sifuna’s position is subjected to judicial scrutiny.
