ODM now backs bid to impeach Ruto

Makadara MP George Aladwa, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and former MP Irshad Sumra during a rally at Mukuru kwa Reuben in Nairobi. [David Njaaga, Standard]

ODM has now backed Siaya Senator James Orengo’s suggestion of impeaching Deputy President William Ruto.

The orange party accused Dr Ruto of being an obstacle to the fight against corruption.

Party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said every option available to get the DP out of the Government was welcome.

Mr Sifuna announced that the party supported the impeachment Motion against Ruto, citing past utterances by the DP and his allies in criticising the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

He said the DP’s allies had been calling on DCI boss George Kinoti and DPP Noordin Haji not to prosecute economic crimes suspects.

“If impeachment will remove him, so be it,” said Sifuna.

At a rally to drum up support to Embakasi South hopeful Irshad Sumra, ODM lieutenants said Ruto and his allies could not derail the fight on graft.

MPs George Aladwa (Makadara), Teddy Mwambire (Ganze), Simba Arati (Dagoretti North) and Timothy Wanyonyi (Westlands) attended the rally.

Sifuna said the mini-poll in Embakasi South would be a battle between those for the handshake (between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga) and those against it.

“Show me your company and I will tell your character. If he (Ruto) is a strong man as he is lied to by his friends, let him resign,” said Mr Arati.

Mr Aladwa, who is also the ODM Nairobi branch chairman, said the handshake had united Kenyans.

The leaders spoke at Mukuru kwa Reuben in Nairobi during a rally to campaign for the party’s candidate in Friday’s Embakasi South by-election.

Aladwa and Mr Mwambire said they would not tolerate any further attacks aimed at Raila.

Yesterday National Super Alliance (NASA) affiliates - ODM and Wiper Democratic Movement - escalated campaigns as the Embakasi South mini-polls enter homestretch. ODM, in a tactical move to wrestle the seat from Wiper, is leading a handshake campaign and branding the Wiper candidate as anti-truce.

The ODM brigade said Sumra was the handshake candidate and urged voters to shun any candidate opposed to the historic March 9, 2018 political truce.

“President Uhuru Kenyatta and our Party leader Raila Odinga agreed to shake hands to cool down the political temperatures and after the Supreme Court nullified the elections, Jubilee in its wisdom decided not to field a candidate so that we have one compromised candidate,” said Mr Wanyonyi.

Sifuna said ODM would reclaim the seat and urged residents to turn up in large numbers to vote for Sumra. Voters in Embakasi South and Ugenya will on Friday elect MPs after the apex court nullified the election of Julius Mawathe and Chris Karan respectively.