NAIROBI, Kenya — The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has officially removed Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna from his position as the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General, drawing a curtain on a bitter, months-long leadership dispute.
The regulatory directive, issued on Thursday, effectively ratifies a previous resolution by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to strip the high-profile legislator of his powerful organ seat.
In a formal letter delivered to Sifuna’s parliamentary chambers, the Registrar noted that a comprehensive review of the documents submitted by the party—coupled with a lack of formal response from the senator under constitutional requirements—confirmed that his ouster strictly aligned with both the Political Parties Act and the internal ODM constitution.
The regulatory body concluded that it had fully updated its statutory records to reflect Sifuna’s formal removal from the party’s leadership roster.
The dramatic development triggered an immediate and sharp legal counter-offensive from the embattled Nairobi lawmaker. Writing through his advocate, former Law Society of Kenya President Isaac Okero, Sifuna expressed deep reservations about the decision, alleging underlying mischief and criticizing the unusually hasty conclusion of the regulatory review process.
Okero further cautioned the Registrar that the immediate alteration of the political archives bypassed mandatory procedural steps outlined in Section 20(2) of the Political Parties Act, rendering the entire administrative action legally void and setting the stage for an imminent court challenge.
Meanwhile, the ODM hierarchy moved swiftly to solidify the transition and assert control over the party machinery. Addressing journalists at the party’s Chungwa House headquarters in Nairobi, Deputy Secretary General and Busia Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo celebrated the regulatory greenlight, expressing relief that the political outfit could finally purge rebellious elements from its leadership ranks.
Omanyo accused the senator of operating a rogue, self-serving agenda while masquerading as the party’s spokesperson, declaring that ODM would seamlessly move forward without him and mockingly suggesting that the ousted official should consider forming his own political vehicle.
