Kisumu County Assembly suspends four 'rebel' MCAs recalled by ODM

ODM party leader Raila Odinga. [File, Standard]

Kisumu County Assembly has suspended four nominated MCAs expelled by the ODM party over claims of gross misconduct.

The four MCAs suspended by the Kisumu County assembly after the party revoked their nomination are Carolyne Opar, Kennedy Ajwang, Peter Obaso and Regina Kizito.

On Thursday, the County Assembly Speaker Elisha Oraro said the suspended MCAs will no longer participate in any assembly activities until further notice.

This follows a communication from ODM which indicated that the four had been recalled by the party.

In a letter by ODM Executive Director Oduor Ongwen, the decision was made after the MCAs were found to have allegedly violated the Political Parties Act 2011, ODM party code of conduct and section 11 of the party constitution.

"It is important to note that the affected members were granted the opportunity for a fair hearing during the party internal dispute resolution process, " said Ongwen in the letter.

Ongwen had directed Kisumu Speaker Elisha Oraro to take the necessary steps to acknowledge and implement the decision of National Executive Committee in the assembly.

Oraro in a communication to MCAs dated September 7, 2023 acknowledged that he had received a communication from the party on the revocation of the election of the four members.

"I would like to take this opportunity to read out the contents of the letter to you. As per the letter, I hereby inform you that the mentioned members are suspended from all functions of the assembly with immediate effect. This means that they will no longer participate in any assembly activities until further notice," he said.

The speaker requested the Clerk of the County Assembly to take note of the communication and ensure that the necessary administrative actions are taken to enforce the suspension of the aforementioned members.

"I urge all members to adhere to this decision and maintain the integrity and smooth functioning of our assembly during this period. Further instructions and
updates will be communicated as necessary," added the speaker.

The MCAs are among a group of politicians including five MPs who have been punished by the party for alleged gross misconduct.