- Raila also called on government and doctors' unions to find a middle-ground and end the stalemate.
- ODM will start the first phase of its staggered elections on April 26.
Image: FILE
ODM top organ meeting on Thursday ratified changes to its elections body setting stage for the planned grassroots polls starting April 26.
This is even as the Opposition chief Raila Odinga appealed to both the government and doctors’ union to abandon their hard stance and end the stalemate that has paralysed the country’s healthcare sector.
The party’s National Executive Committee chaired by party chairman John Mbadi and graced Raila and his two deputies—Wycliffe Oparanya and Hassan Joho—approved the Central Management Committee decision to disband the National Elections Board.
The committee ratified the establishment of the three-member National Elections Coordinating Committee to oversee the devolved polls.
CMC on January 10 established a new entity, a three-member National Elections Coordinating Committee sitting at the headquarters, and which will coordinate all the elections to end the culture of selling tickets to the highest bidders.
The January meeting also proposed two coordinators—one male and one female—to oversee the exercise in the counties.
But during Thursday's meeting, NEC expanded the number of coordinators to three to allow for quorum and achieve odd number where voting is necessary.
NEC also incorporated ex-Busia Senator Amos Wako and former nominated senator Agnes Zani to join the party’s trustee.
Trustees are responsible for the management of party’s assets including money.
“We endorsed the the new-look three-member National Elections Coordinating Committee to replace the defunct NEB that was disbanded,” ODM Deputy secretary general Zani who read the resolutions said.
“The NECC will have devolved roles, which will be executed at the county level by a three-member County Elections Committee.”
ODM retained Richard Tairo and Emily Awita, who sat in the disbanded NEB, to sit in the in the new entity that will also include Beatrice Askul.
The party said it was retaining Awita and Tairo for institutional memory at the national level as Raila tries to find the best nomination formula ahead of the next polls.
Awita will chair the new NECC.
The first phase of the elections will be from April 27 to 30.
According to the schedule released by the party, Kwale, Busia and Siaya counties will go to the polls on April 27 to elect their leaders.
The party will then hold a similar exercise in Kajiado, Migori and Wajir on April 29.
On April 30, the party will conclude the first phase of the exercise with elections in Kisii, Vihiga and Murang'a counties.
Addressing a press briefing on Thursday, Raila warned that the doctors’ strike is slowly moving from bad to worse and called on government and the union to get a middle ground.
The strike, according to Raila, has disrupted the country’s 57 public hospitals.
“We are of the view that the situation is moving from bad to worse and soon, we will have a full-blown crisis in which all health workers will down their tools,” Raila said.
“I am convinced that the doctors and all other health workers currently on strike will be able to craft a return-to-work formula and resume duty if the government were to meet their demands half way while negotiations continue.”
In his proposal, the former Prime Minister wants the government to maintain the stipend of intern doctors at Sh206,000 that is currently being paid.
Government had moved to reduce the take home for the doctors’ interns saying the amount is not sustainable.
“There is no way an employer can reduce the salaries of employees mid-stream. That distorts everything in the life of the employee,” the ODM boss said.