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| Bahari LDP chairman Mwangome Chilimo (left) addresses journalists in Mombasa yesterday. He and other officials from the area distanced themselves from the group of LDP officials who defected to LPK on Monday. The defectors were led by Mwingi North MP Kalonzo Musyoka. Photo/LABAN WALLOGA |
A battle for the control of ODM Kenya erupted yesterday with a group allied to Lang’ata MP Raila Odinga giving the Registrar of Societies a seven-day-ultimatum to register new officials of the party.
ODM-K presidential hopefuls Musalia Mudavadi, William Ruto and Odinga said the group favoured by Mwingi North MP Kalonzo Musyoka had resigned from their positions.
According to them, they include the registered ODM Kenya chairman, Mr Daniel Maanzo.
Their statement came just a day after Mr Musyoka, another ODM-K presidential hopeful, announced his defection from LDP to Labour Party of Kenya.
And yesterday, LDP chairman David Musila and secretary-general Joseph Kamotho also announced that they had quit LDP and reverted to their Narc membership.
Re-election bid
Earlier, Mr Kamotho caused a stir when he announced that he had no problem with President Kibaki and urged voters in his Mathioya constituency to support the President’s re-election bid.
Speaking at Parliament buildings yesterday, Mr Musila said he and Mr Kamotho had decided to leave the party because it had failed to hold national elections, leaving a few individuals to run its affairs without consulting them.
Reading a joint statement in the company of seven other MPs allied to Mr Musyoka, the Deputy Speaker said: “We have, therefore, with immediate effect ceased to serve as chairman and secretary-general of LDP, respectively.”
They said they would remain in Narc under whose ticket they were elected to Parliament. Their decision to desert LDP came hot on the heels of Mr Musyoka’s defection to LPK, which is also affiliated to ODM-K.
Mr Kamotho described ODM Kenya as a party without an ideology. He said: “ODM Kenya is just an orange with similar confusion like Narc Kenya.”
Mr Musila said LDP’s image had been dented over time because some individuals wanted to protect their political interests at the expense of the party.
But speaking separately, Mr Odinga, Mr Mudavadi, Mr Ruto and Tinderet MP Henry Kosgey, who is the ODM interim chairman, accused State House and people opposed to reform for the row that has split the party.
They said Government forces were behind the turmoil in the opposition party.
They also criticised the registered officials who had failed to hand over the reins of the party to the elected ones.
According to the three presidential hopefuls, “the unseen hand of the Government wanted to destroy the ODM-K dream” by refusing to the recognise bona fide officials led by Mr Kosgey.
They said the Government was responsible for the Registrar of Societies’ refusal to recognise elected officials and the call by Mr Musyoka to Mr Maanzo (the registered chairman) not to give up the party leadership.
“The party is aware of the State machinations to destroy ODM Kenya by using Mr Maanzo and his associates to sow discord and confusion,” they said in a statement read at a Press briefing at Orange House, the party headquarters in Nairobi.
They said they would not allow any party or individual to destroy ODM-Kenya.
Destroy the party
Mr Kosgey also said ODM-K was a party of individuals and not a coalition.
“No political party affiliated or associated with ODM-K will be allowed to engage in activities or mischief likely to destroy the party,” he said.
The MP also accused the Registrar of Societies of failing to effect the change in leadership even after Mr Maanzo and his group resigned on September 21, last year.
They gave the registrar until August 6 to make the changes or all ODM-K supporters will demonstrate to her office on August 7, to demand the same.
There was anxiety and tension as 30 MPs and about 500 parliamentary and civic hopefuls and supporters jammed Orange House to listen to the presidential hopefuls, whom they cheered wildly.
While dismissing the threat by Mr Musyoka, who on Monday announced that he only recognised the Maanzo group, Mr Kosgey said ODM-K was owned by Kenyans and not an individual.
Although they did not mention Mr Musyoka by name in the statement, the leaders said some individuals were trying to bend party rules to further their political ambitions. And to further throw scorn at Mr Musyoka’s decision to recognise Mr Maanzo, the other leaders yesterday announced disciplinary action that would culminate in the removal of Mr Maanzo (chairman), Mr
Abraham Chepkonga (secretary-general) and Ms Lilian Aluga (treasurer) from the party.
They called on ODM-K supporters to stand by the party even if the Government and detractors tried to stop it from forming the next Government.
Mr Kosgey said in a thinly veiled reference to Mr Musyoka: “We call upon Kenyans of goodwill to express their solidarity with ODM-K by peaceful means, at a time when the Government and those opposed to reform are trying to stop this party from winning the General Election.”
They said the party was not going to relent despite the machinations of the Government and its “projects” to hold the party hostage. The leaders were responding to Mr Musyoka’s dismissal of the current ODM-K interim officials and its main decision making organ, the plenary.
Mr Musyoka had on Monday announced that ODM-K was a coalition of parties and asked Mr Maanzo to take control of the party. He had also dismissed the plenary as an “amorphous outfit”.
He said: “What has happened today (the defection) demonstrates leadership. By shifting to this alliance, we have shown the resolve to strengthen ODM Kenya. Remember that at the formation of ODM, I said the future is Orange. I wan to repeat today that the future is Orange”.
The Mwingi North MP made the remarks when he defected to Dr Julia Ojiambo’s Labour Party of Kenya.
However, yesterday, the other leaders not only took issue with Mr Musyoka’s remarks, but also said ODM-K was a political party accepting individual members.
They said that presidential hopefuls Najib Balala (who is overseas) and Joseph Nyagah, who was in his constituency, shared in their sentiments.
Mr Kosgey said: “ODM Kenya takes great exception to the plenary being called an amorphous body. Those questioning the democratic credentials of the party structures are simply trying to bend the rules to favour their political ambitions.”
Although Mr Maanzo and other officials voluntarily resigned on September 21 last year, a day after a party plenary, the registrar had declined to recognise new officials who were elected, he said.
Signature was forged
However, his claim was denied by Mr Maanzo, who said any letter purporting that he had resigned would be a forgery.
He said: “My signature was forged by one of the interim officials and I wrote to the Registrar warning her as much.”
The last time the officials wrote blocking any change of names was in May after a party plenary meeting.
As the infighting to control ODM-K continued, Mutito Member of Parliament Kiema Kilonzo said Mr Musyoka’s supporters would vote for President Kibaki if Mr Musyoka is not nominated as the movement’s flagbearer.
Dr Ojiambo said following Monday’s defection, 20 MPs are now allied to LPK, but she did not give names. |
