Sifuna ousted as Senate Deputy Minority Whip

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has been removed as the Senate Deputy Minority Whip.

Sifuna has been replaced by Migori Senator Eddy Oketch in changes communicated in the House by Senate Speaker Amason Kingi.

Kingi said he received the minutes and the list of those who signed the petition to remove Sifuna.

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

The changes come amid ongoing political realignments within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leadership structures.

Sifuna, who also served as the ODM Secretary-General, has in recent months emerged as one of the party's most vocal critics of the rapprochement between ODM and the Kenya Kwanza administration.

The reshuffle is expected to trigger fresh political debate within ODM and the wider opposition, where Sifuna has remained a prominent voice on governance and accountability issues.

The Senate Deputy Minority Whip assists the Minority Whip in mobilising senators for House business, ensuring attendance during key votes and coordinating the minority coalition's legislative agenda.

This comes barely a week after the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) formally recognised the removal of Sifuna as the ODM Secretary-General.

The ORPP concluded that the removal process complied with both the Political Parties Act and the party's constitution.

In a letter signed by the Registrar of Political Parties and Chief Executive Officer J.C. Lorionokou, the Registrar said the decision followed a review of documents submitted by ODM as well as the absence of a response from Sifuna regarding the matter.

The Registrar said the office had considered correspondence relating to the powers of the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) to establish committees and determine their terms of reference before reaching its decision.

"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 stated.

However, Sifuna's legal team has challenged the Registrar's decision.

The dispute over the Secretary-General's position remains the subject of ongoing legal proceedings, with Sifuna maintaining that the process leading to his removal did not comply with the law or the party's internal procedures.