Sifuna removed as Deputy Minority Whip in Senate

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna. [File, Standard]

Nairobi Senator  Edwin Sifuna has been removed as the Senate Deputy Minority Whip in communication made by Senate Speaker Amason Kingi on Thursday.

Kingi said that the Nairobi Senator would be replaced by his Migori counterpart Eddy Oketch in the changes.

The Speaker said that he received minutes from a meeting that ousted him including the a list of Senators who signed his removal petition.

"The new office holder with immediate effect is Senator Eddy Gicheru Oketch," Kingi told Senators.

The changes come amidst a letter that had been sent to Kingi by the Azimio la Umoja coalition earlier in the day which said that they had received complaints from member parties and individual Senators over a plot to interfere with its leadership in the Senate.

The letter signed by Philip Kisia alleged that a Coalition Parliamentary Group meeting had been convened by Senate Minority Whip and Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina in his office at 19:30hrs.

The letter further alleged that they were not told the agenda of the meeting and their protests for the short notice which was sent at 17:45hrs were not addressed.

“Members arrived at his office only to be told that the agenda was to effect changes in the coalition leadership in the Senate by removing Senator Sifuna as Deputy Whip,” the letter reads in part.

The letter says that the meeting ended prematurely after 11 Senators voted in favour of the removal with their colleagues protesting but allege that Ole Kina did not declare the motion defeated.

Kisia said that changes in the Azimio parliamentary coalition can only be determined by the Coalition Council as per the coalition agreement.

“It’s further instructive that the ODM party whose members constitute the vast majority of the 11 members who supported the purported changes, had already resolved earlier this year to terminate their membership in the Azimio coalition,” said Kisia.

Azimio wanted Kingi to desist from acting upon the resolution pending the determination of a dispute by the Coalitions dispute resolution panel.

Sifuna’s removal comes barely a week after the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) formalised his removal as the ODM Secretary-General.

In a letter, ORPP said that Sifuna’s removal process by the party’s National Executive Council complied with its constitution and the Political Parties Act.

"Upon review of the documents submitted by the party and the lack of response from Hon. Edwin Watenya Sifuna, we note that the removal of the party Secretary-General was in line with the Political Parties Act, Cap. 7D, and the ODM party constitution," the letter signed by ORPP Chief Executive Offier John Lorionokou said.

Lorionokou said that his office had effected the changes.

The Nairobi Senator however challenged the ORPP decision through his legal team.

Senior Counsel Isaac Okero said that the move was a clear procedural irregularity and the changes should not be effected.

"Our client considers this action to be procedurally improper. Effecting changes to the party records violates the Political Parties Act, and our client will not hesitate to pursue the appropriate legal remedies," said the letter by Okero to ORPP.