Sifuna Disowns ODM CS Appointments: No Party Blessing
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has clarified that the party did not endorse the recent nomination of four ODM members to President William Ruto’s Cabinet. Speaking on Thursday, Sifuna emphasized that the appointments of ODM Chairman John Mbadi, Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi, and Deputy Party leaders Hassan Joho and Wycliffe Oparanya were made independently and did not reflect the party’s stance.
Sifuna explained that Joho, named Minister of Mining and Blue Economy, Oparanya, appointed to Cooperatives and MSME Development, Mbadi, selected for the National Treasury, and Wandayi, given the Energy and Petroleum portfolio, acted on their own accord without party negotiation or approval.
“They do not have the blessings of the party,” Sifuna reiterated. “The position we gave is that they are joining the government in their individual capacity. We don’t begrudge them; in fact, I wish them well.”
Sifuna further criticized the appointments, questioning Mbadi’s understanding of the bottom-up transformative manifesto and expressing doubts about his ability to manage the Treasury effectively. He highlighted the lack of internal party discussions regarding these nominations and emphasized that ODM’s priorities remain unchanged, indicating a need for documented priority areas before making such decisions.
Despite ODM’s lack of endorsement, Sifuna acknowledged that the nominated members had been in negotiations with President Ruto. This development follows Ruto’s call for broad-based consultations to form a national unity government, aiming to address issues like debt, job creation, and government efficiency.
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Sifuna Disowns ODM CS Appointments: No Party Blessing