Matungu Constituency Member of Parliament Arnold Maliba argues that the expulsion of five members from the ODM Party, who were deemed disloyal, should be considered invalid. Maliba contends that the disciplinary action, which was approved by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), cannot be upheld because Raila Odinga, who chaired the meeting, is also a member of the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party. According to Maliba, this violates political party regulations, which prohibit individuals from belonging to two political parties simultaneously.
Maliba asserts, “The ruling and even the statement made by John Mbadi is null and void because a foreigner chaired the disciplinary committee. Raila is a foreigner in ODM. Raila is not a member of ODM. Raila and Martha Karua are members of Azimio and they have publicly presented themselves as the people who ran on Azimio which is actually a party,” as he explained in an interview with NTV.
In the MP’s view, the affected legislators should not be concerned about the party’s decision. He suggests, “So the expelled MPs should be happy because a foreigner to the party chaired the disciplinary committee. The registrar of political parties Anne Nderitu should come out clear and tell us whether section 14 is effective specifically where no one should belong to two political parties,” emphasizing that Raila Odinga ran on the Azimio platform and is still pursuing claims of victory for Azimio, raising questions about his role in the ODM disciplinary process.
The ODM party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) recently announced the expulsion of five members, including Elisha Odhiambo (Gem), Gideon Ochanda (Bondo), Felix Odiwuor ‘Jalang’o’ (Lang’ata), Caroli Omondi (Suba South), and Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda. These members were accused of violating the party Constitution and the Political Parties Act 2011 by openly aligning themselves with a rival political group and opposing lawful decisions made by party organs. This decision was made following a meeting chaired by party leader Raila Odinga and National Chairman John Mbadi, where they considered a report from the disciplinary committee investigating the conduct of these members.