Judith Pareno out of elections Board, ODM NEB. FILE |
ODM leader Raila Odinga cleaned National elections Board and repaired the ODM disciplinary committee ahead of 2022 elections.
Raila Odinga on Tuesday fired the NEB boss Judy Pareno accusing her of bungling party nominations, leading to ODM’s poor showing in the 2017 General Election.
ODM boss tapped services from the former commissioner in the now-defunct Constitution Implementation Commission Catherine Mumma as the new NEB boss replacing Mrs Pareno.
Former Wajir South MP Abdulahi Diriye, Richard Tairo, Syntei Nchoe and Emily Awita will be members of the NEB.
Prof Ben Sihanya replaces lawyer Fred Athuok as chairman of the disciplinary committee.
The panel will have new members, including Ramadhani Abubakar, Mumbi Ngaru, Seth Kakusye and Dr Florence Omosa.
Mrs Mumma chaired the five-member team that delivered a harsh verdict on several party organs, including the NEB, accusing it of staging poll violence to rig in their preferred aspirants.
The new elections board is expected to plan and conduct the party’s grassroots elections, which were suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The new NEB must quickly settle in and begin preparations for the Party Grassroots Elections. The new Disciplinary Committee likewise is expected to settle down quickly and dispense with urgent pending disciplinary cases involving our MCAs from Nairobi, Bungoma and Nyamira counties,” ODM said in a statement.
The details emerged after Raila chaired the ODM Central Management Committee, the key organ that runs the party affairs.
“The ODM party primaries have been described as the party’s biggest vice. Party elections are thought to lack credibility and do not meet the standard of being free, fair and democratic,” the 2019 internal report by Mumma’s team reads.
“The party structures, especially the NEC, NEB and the Secretariat, have been blamed for conducting their business in a manner that is not transparent and accountable and [they] are thought to be in the business of deliberately staging the chaotic and violent elections as a way of facilitating favourites to end up as nominees of ODM for the general election,” it added.
The NEB and the disciplinary bodies will be sworn in on Thursday at Orange House in a ceremony to be presided over by Raila.
“The new members of both Committees shall hold office for a term of five years. It is our expectation the new members will begin work immediately as they will find their in-trays full,” ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna said in a statement to newsrooms.
ODM national chairman John Mbadi said the term of the two bodies had expired.
“They were due for disbandment, the positions were vacant. We didn’t have a board, its term had expired,” Mbadi added.