By Beauttah Omanga

The Registrar of Political Parties is under fire from ODM over the sharing of money meant for political parties.

ODM officials led by Secretary General Anyang’ Nyong’o, Vice-Chairman Elizabeth Ongoro and Executive Director Janet Ongera on Tuesday stormed Lucy Ndungu’s offices at Anniversary Towers demanding to be paid more than she had indicated.

Nyong’o said it was ODM’s position that the funds be shared out on the basis of "actual votes garnered" in the last General Election, but not those declared by the Samuel Kivuitu led Electoral Commission.

Talking to the Press after the meeting with the Registrar, Nyong’o, Ongoro and Ongera said they told the official their official figures when calculated entitled their party to Sh75 million not Sh58 million.

"As far as we are concerned, we garnered more votes for the presidential race than PNU," said Nyong’o. "We will not accept erroneous figures given to the Registrar by the defunct ECK to determine which party gets what."

Ndung’u would not be reached for a comment as she declined to allow the media into her office.

But in rejoinder PNU Vice-Chairman George Nyamweya termed the move by ODM ridiculous.

"How can a party decide how many votes they garnered, yet they were sworn in courtesy of the number of votes they garnered as per the results declared by the same ECK?" posed Nyamweya.

He told The Standard that all parties should accept the figures as per the calculations done by the Registrar and stop igniting political tension.

"This is a wrong time for ODM to start inter-party wars. We want consultations as we move towards a new constitution," said Nyamweya.

He urged the Registrar to remain firm.

But Nyong’o said his party could consider taking the issue back to Parliament to have the Political Parties’ Act reviewed.

Nyong’o, who is also the Medical Services Minister, said ODM, through its machinery discovered they garnered more votes than President Kibaki’s PNU adding, "even (Justice) Kriegler concluded the figures announced by Kivuitu were inaccurate and unreliable".