The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) now says it will initiate and lead recall processes for six Members of Parliament elected on the party ticket.
The MPs in peril and the different supporters they address are; Gem (Elisha Odhiambo), Bondo (Gideon Ochanda), Navakholo (Emmanuel Wangwe), Kajiado Central (Elijah Kanchory), Ikolomani (Bernard Shinali), and Suba South (Caroli Omondi).
Tending to columnists after a Central Committee meeting in Nairobi on Tuesday, ODM Secretary General and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna featured that the MPs dismissed their oaths of office by not considering the desires of their constituents prior to voting on the now withdrawn Finance Bill, 2024.
“ODM will start and lead review processes in the accompanying voting public considering the ongoing office holders rehashed infringement of their consecrated oaths and the desires of their electorate. They are; Gem, Bondo, Navakholo, Kajiado central, Ikolomani and Suba South,” said Sifuna.
Sifuna also commented on the recent incident where protesters stormed Parliament, deciphering it as a statement of disapproval in the Kenya Kwanza administration.
He further called on the President William Ruto-led government to awaken and smell the coffee, and regard to the requests of the Kenyan people.
“In our view what happened on June 25, 2024, amounted to a vote of No confidence in the Ruto regime; it is clear that this fact is totally lost on Ruto and it is reflected in his petulant proposals on how we manage our economy following the rejection of the tax Bill,” said the Senator.
“Instead of focusing on cutting wastage, opulence and corruption in his regime, he is hitting back at the Kenyan people with threats to cut funding for the Judiciary and county governments.”
The ODM Secretary General also condemned the excessive use of force by police to disperse demonstrators and condemned reported cases of police abductions of protesters.
“We condemn the abuse of police power in the deployment of violent suppression techniques on innocent and unarmed protesters. we further condemn the ongoing arbitrary abductions of innocent Kenyans who are carted away in the most violent and inhumane manner and held incommunicado for days,” said Sifuna.
“The Head of State has tried to distance his regime from its killings, injuries and abductions, instead conjuring up theories when everybody can see the blood on his hands. We have the most callous, insensitive and obtuse regime in the history of Kenya. It is no wonder chants of ‘Ruto must go’ are ringing out all across our land.”
As per the Kenya National Commission Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), 39 individuals have been killed while a further 361 have been harmed in the protests between June 18 to July 1, 2024.
“We were shocked to see the President claiming on Live TV that only one life was lost; it tells you how out of touch with reality he is. The Kenya Kwanza regime must take full responsibility for all the deaths, injuries and destruction of property arising from the violent suppression of peaceful protests,” noted the Senator.
“The President must publicly direct his security organs to forthwith cease the ongoing abductions; an exercise we believe is being undertaken by his full approval and that of the State. He must account for and order the release of all the detainees abducted by security agencies.”
Furthermore, the opposition party approached the Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (IPOA) to explore claims of police brutality during the showings quickly.
“IPOA should speed up investigations concerning this large number of occurrences remembering claims of mass murder by police for Githurai and Rongai,” said Sifuna.
