Nominated MP and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party chairman John Mbadi has refuted claims that his party expelled 5 rebel MP.
The opposition party chairman rubbished the news doing rounds that the ODM expelled five rebel members of parliament who are seen to be tilting their allegiance to the ruling party leader, and the President, William Ruto.
Mbadi said that the MPs’ expulsion saga was just a fabrication that is not based on any facts and realities on the ground. He further explained that it was the MPs’ decision that has so far been construed as an expulsion from the party.
“I want to be clear that we are not expelling these members. I think there has been misinformation so to speak, that we are expelling the members. If you look at the Political Parties Act, various actions could be taken against a member one of them is expulsion,” Mbadi said.
“There is section 14 (b) which talks about expulsion, how a member should be expelled and grounds upon which a member can be expelled but section 14 (b) which is distinct is about deeming a member to have resigned from a party that is the section we are applying.”
Critics have accused ODM of targeting only MPs and leaving out MPs from other tribes who have openly been associating with the ruling party. Speaking to KTN recently, the UDA party Nyanza coordinator Kennedy Ondiek accused ODM party leader Raila Odinga of victimising only Luos MPs in a bid to clamp down on freedom of speech and association within his Nyanza stronghold. He said elected Luo leaders shouldnt be treated like little children but should be allowed to freely associate with whoever they want to associate with for the benefit of their electorate.
