Former ODM Secretary-General Ababu Namwamba (left) and immediate former holder of the office Edwin Sifuna.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna may have bought himself more time in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) after a swift intervention by party powerbrokers last month, but the writing had been on the wall.
With the first-term lawmaker escalating his public defiance against the party leadership, his removal as the secretary-general (SG) was only a matter of when and not if.
His every statement of rebellion painted a man who was inviting any brave individual in ODM to be bold enough to bell the cat.
The party’s National Executive Council meeting in Mombasa on Wednesday heeded the invite by cutting the long chase short.
“Having deliberated on matters relating to the conduct of the secretary-general Edwin Sifuna, the NEC resolved to remove him from office with immediate effect…,” stated the statement read by his deputy, Catherine Omanyo.
The Busia Woman Representative will step in as the acting SG until a substantive replacement is picked.
Senator Sifuna’s tribulations appear to draw parallels to those of his predecessor, Ababu Namwamba, albeit he resigned rather than being kicked out.
The former Budalang’i MP, a darling of the party after gaining popularity in 2007 by taking oath in the name of the late Raila Odinga, had the world as his political oyster.
His name reverberated from far and wide after gradually worming his way to be Mr Odinga’s blue-eyed boy.
However, it was not long until he fell out with the party leader, necessitating a resignation in a huff in July 2016.
Staged a coup
Interestingly, at the centre of the wrangles 10 years ago was Mr Sifuna, who at the time was a little-known chairperson of the party’s disputes tribunal.
This is after the current Nairobi senator staged a coup in the party a month earlier and took over the SG’s position following a fallout between Mr Namwamba and the party’s powerbrokers.
“We are here to fill the vacancy. There is no longer a shortfall of personnel in the office of the SG, and from today, I am the SG of ODM,” said Mr Sifuna in 2016.
ODM leader Oburu Oginga (right) and immediate former party Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna.
A decade later, Senator Sifuna was on the receiving end with little-known Migori Senator Eddy Oketch at testing the waters through a petition calling for his counterpart to be de-whipped from all parliamentary positions and/or expelled from the party.
The push was, however, shelved after the intervention of party leader Oburu Oginga to give a chance for dialogue.
But the damage had been done, and rather than embrace dialogue, Mr Sifuna was even more critical of the party, even going ahead to skip party organ meetings.
The Senate deputy minority whip would contradict the party leader and openly challenge its decisions at every opportunity.
The simmering infighting within the ODM appears to have echoes of wrangles witnessed in 2016, which led to the resignation of Mr Namwamba and vice chairperson Paul Otuoma.
Coming full circle, SG Sifuna and deputy party leader Godfrey Osotsi have been at loggerheads with other officials of the party over its direction.
A decade ago, Mr Namwamba was accused of being a “Jubilee mole”, and his successor is also facing accusations of close association with the party’s opponents, while arrogantly bragging that the party cannot dictate his political association.
Mr Sifuna is further accused of illegally usurping the powers of the party leader by purporting to negotiate for coalitions, frustrating the party’s efforts to meet its objectives, as well as indiscipline and dishonesty by publicly denying the party’s involvement in the broad-based government arrangement, a position passed by the party organ.
This is in addition to reckless and deliberate sabotage by distributing the party’s confidential information and gross misconduct.
Arrogance
“It is clear that the member is on a rampage and completely out to sabotage the party. Clearly, there is an urgent need for action to be taken to salvage the party from sinking in his ocean of ego and sea of arrogance and to immediately relieve him of his duties …,” said Mr Oketch.
In 2016, Mr Namwamba faced sharp criticism from a section of ODM leaders who consistently accused him of failing to execute his mandate, including skipping Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission protests seeking the disbandment of the electoral body.
After his exit, Mr Sifuna said his predecessor’s departure from ODM was long overdue, terming him a Jubilee ‘mole’ as well, and accusing him of failing to offer the necessary leadership to the opposition party.
“Any one of us who feels they have had enough with ODM and they feel that they have nothing more to give to the party, we are wishing them well,” said Mr Sifuna.
“It is sad that we have come to this particular point that we have to part ways, but we will trudge on because that is the nature of life. People come and go, but the party, what it stands for and what it intends to achieve will remain forever.”
Political commentator Javas Bigambo had last month cautioned Senator Sifuna to look beyond the next elections and let political strategy and calculation be his best friends.
“Currently, he has removed any doubt that he is ready to make enemies within ODM as he is considering himself larger than life in the party,” said Mr Bigambo.
“But just like it was for Marcus Brutus, who engineered the assassination of Julius Caesar, the very same sword that Sifuna wants to destroy ODM with, will be the same one that will puncture his political life,” he added.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
