ORANGE SCARE

PRESS STATEMENT

The ODM takes exception to the tribal and divisive politics that renegade Party MPs led by Hon. William Ruto are constantly engaged in so as to salvage their dwindling political fortunes among Kenyans in general and sections of the Rift Valley in particular.

It is well known that these renegades have joined hands with amorphous groups like Simama Kenya; a reincarnation of the defunct YK92 which fleeced this country of billions of shillings in the early nineties. We are worried that the increased number of informal night caucuses over the draft constitution that is being debated in Parliament, along with threats and blackmail pronouncements in public rallies are meant to derail the process of Constitutional making. We are against this double speak whose intention is to retain the current constitution as it is.

We wish to affirm to the public that devolution has been in the ODM manifesto and policy all along and it is not any one individual’s recent invention. Devolution is for all Kenyans and not only for any single region. The ODM has always championed devolution as the cornerstone of governance and dispersing power and resources to the people. Opportunists in the Party who have decided to take a rebellious stand should not use this for political mileage.

It is unfortunate some of those who claim to continue to be loyal senior members of ODM do not even attend Party Parliamentary Group meetings at Orange House that the Party Leader chairs to discuss Party strategy in Parliament. We advice that their arrogance and lone ranger politics are not helping them nor the Party, let alone the gallant people of the Rift Valley whose intelligence they are consistently undermining.

In all progressive Parties the world over, senior Party leaders do not criticize their Party in public and still maintain their leadership roles. Over the last year, it has become clear that these renegades do not share Party vision any more. In those circumstances, the honest and most honorable action to take is for them to offer their resignations from the Party. If they decline to make this choice, then the Party will be compelled to set in motion its disciplinary process in accordance with Article 8.4 of the Party Constitution whose “penalty includes but is not limited to, reprimand, censure, sanction, suspension for a period definite or expulsion”.




Declared at Orange House this 29th day of March 2010