The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has taken decisive action against six of its Members of Parliament (MPs) who defied the party’s position on the Finance Bill 2024, announcing plans to initiate their recall from office.
In a press statement issued today, ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna condemned the MPs for their disregard of the party’s stance, which resulted in support for the contentious finance bill.
“The ODM party shall initiate and lead recall processes in the following constituencies in light of the current office holders’ repeated violation of their sacred oath and the wishes of the electorate,” Sifuna stated.
The affected MPs include Gideon Ochanda (Bondo), Elisha Odhiambo (Gem), Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo), Memusi Kanchory (Kajiado Central), Bernard Shinali (Ikolomani), and Caroli Omondi (Suba South).
Sifuna announced that the party’s central committee, led by Raila Odinga and his deputies Hassan Joho and Wycliffe Oparanya, had unanimously agreed to initiate and lead the recall processes in their respective constituencies.
The decision comes amidst nationwide protests sparked by the Finance Bill 2024, which have gripped major cities including Nairobi and Mombasa. These demonstrations, characterized by impassioned calls for economic justice and governmental accountability, have seen significant participation from Kenya’s youth population.
ODM further criticized President William Ruto’s administration for its handling of the protests, accusing the government of failing to protect citizens’ rights and resorting to heavy-handed measures to quell dissent.
The party’s statement highlighted what it termed as a “vote of no confidence” in the current regime, emphasizing that recent events underscored widespread discontent with governmental priorities.
“The unfortunate outcome of events during the anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests amounted to a vote of no confidence in the Kenya Kwanza regime,” asserted the ODM statement.
The party called upon the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and combat corruption rather than imposing austerity measures on critical sectors such as the judiciary and county governments.
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