• Orange Party acquired Sh120 million bank loan to pay for new offices in Lavington.
• Party leader Raila Odinga will preside over the relocation.
Image: MONICAH MWANGI
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s ODM party will move to its newly acquired Lavington premises in a month, after acquiring a Sh120 million bank loan.
The opposition party has been unable to move due to financial constraints, which forced it to seek months’ tenancy extension.
The Orange Party in 2017 acquired a Sh170 million property at the city's upmarket area and was to move from Orange House by December 3, 2018.
Inside sources told the Star the party is now ready to relocate to the new offices, a process that is expected to take place by June.
The party resorted to a bank loan after failing to raise enough money to complete payment for the posh property.
“We have now paid in full. We got a facility from KCB. The bank granted us Sh120 million last week and the party had already paid Sh50 million,” a source said.
Party officials who spoke to the Star confirmed that plans are already underway to renovate the new headquarters in readiness for the relocation, to be presided over by the party leader.
“It is a matter of finalising everything here then we move out,” confided another source.
The new offices are situated along Loiyangalani Drive, a few metres from Amani National Congress headquarters.
The party has been operating from the expansive headquarters on Menelik Road in Kilimani, which is owned by Raila's former aide Caroli Omondi.
It is a matter of finalising everything here then we move outSource
The relocation is part of ODM’s broader re-branding strategy.
The party has embarked on a review of its nomination rules, which have been blamed for the dwindling numbers in almost all elective positions every election.
On Tuesday, the party’s National Executive Committee named a three-man team to refine a task force recommendation on how the party should conduct its future primaries.
Edited by Otieno Owino