Crystal Asige loses Senate committee seat amid ODM shake-up

Nominated Senator Crystal Asige  [File, Standard]

Nominated Senator Crystal Asige has been removed from the Senate Standing Committee on Roads, Transport and Housing.

Confirming the move in a post on X, Asige described her removal as a setback to her advocacy for persons with disabilities.

According to the nominated senator, the committee had provided a platform to champion inclusive transport, sustainable cities, mobility and accessibility in the built environment for the more than eight million Kenyans living with disabilities, in line with the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2025.

Despite her removal, Asige said she would continue advocating for disability inclusion in every way possible.

"I come to this House diligently to do my job, to execute the business of those I was brought here to represent, and I do it well even with a disability," she wrote.

"If this is punishment by the leadership, so be it, but one thing that people ought to know is that God has a knack for turning a bad situation into a glorious occasion," she added.

Her removal comes amid a wider reshuffle within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which has seen several lawmakers lose key party and parliamentary positions as internal divisions deepen.

The changes follow growing tensions over the party's cooperation agreement with President William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza administration and the emergence of the Linda Mwananchi movement, a faction that has attracted several ODM leaders.

Among those affected is Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who has lost several influential positions. He was removed as ODM Secretary-General and Deputy Senate Minority Whip and, most recently, dropped from the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC). He was reassigned to the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and also removed from the Senate Energy Committee, chaired by acting ODM leader Oburu Oginga.

Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi was also removed as ODM Deputy Party Leader and stripped of his position as chairperson of the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee (CPISFC). Like Sifuna, his removal has been linked to his association with the Linda Mwananchi faction, although the party has not officially cited this as the reason.

The developments have sparked debate, with some Kenyans arguing that experienced and outspoken leaders are being sidelined because of their political positions.

"Punishing competence has become a feature of both ODM and UDA," one X user said.