ODM scraps membership fee in battle with UDA

Raila Odinga's ODM  has scrapped the Sh100 membership registration fee in a fresh battle for numbers against Deputy President William Ruto's UDA party.

This means that Kenyans seeking to be registered as ordinary ODM members will do so for free in the next three months as the party seeks to shore up its numbers ahead of 2022.

This is the first time the Orange party is suspending membership registration fees in what is seen to be a strategic move to attract millions of jobless youths of voting age.

Ruto's UDA party has intensified campaigns to recruit members free of charge across the country as it plans a debut in next year's general election.

By mid-June, the party announced that it had recruited about 2.6 million  members.

Ruto has said UDA is his next option for 2022 because Jubilee has been 'hijacked' by people interested in wrecking it and blocking his presidential bid.

On Wednesday, ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna said the party was responding to requests by Kenyans who have said they are unable to raise the Sh100 required to register as ordinary members.

"Party Leader H.E. Honourable Raila Amolo Odinga has directed my office to waive the membership fee for anyone wishing to join our party in the next three months beginning July 1, 2021," Sifuna said.

Sifuna said the membership registration process would be key for the party as it prepares for grassroots elections for party officials and nominations for 2022 aspirants.

“We urge our supporters  to use this three-month window to enlist as members of the party  to be eligible to participate in the grassroots elections and nominations,"he said in a letter to all county chairpersons.

The move is in line with Raila’s plan to rejig the party ahead of next year's general election.

The party plans to conduct grassroots elections from the polling stations to the national level, an exercise it hopes will not only strengthen its structures but will also provide fresh energy.

It will be undertaken at both the subcounty and county levels as well.

Sifuna said the ODM recruitment programme has increased party numb eers significantly since 2017. In February 2021, ODM said members have until August this year to register as life members.

In a statement then, the party said for one to be cleared to contest for any elective position on the ODM party ticket they must have been a member for at least one year.

(Edited by V. Graham)