Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma has urged the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to take disciplinary action against members he accuses of promoting rival political movements, arguing that the law already provides for automatic resignation of leaders who abandon their party’s ideals.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Wednesday, Kaluma targeted Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Siaya Governor James Orengo, accusing them of openly taking positions that conflict with ODM’s official direction.
The legislator said members elected through ODM should not continue holding party positions or benefiting from the party’s support while advancing the agenda of other political groups.
Kaluma argued that the Elections Act provides that a politician who supports another party or campaigns against the ideology of the party that sponsored them is considered to have resigned.
"We enacted those provisions in the Elections Act, deeming you to have resigned from your party if you support another party, you disagree with the ideologies of your party and promote the ideologies of the other party," he said.
The MP singled out Sifuna, saying the Nairobi senator had for a long time differed with ODM’s leadership and party positions, including during the lifetime of former party leader Raila Odinga.
"As I told you when I was here, Sifuna is a guy who just remained in office as a matter of law, but he actually ceased to be in that position proper long before Baba died," Kaluma said.
He claimed Sifuna had repeatedly challenged the party’s leadership and decisions, arguing that his continued stay in ODM positions was only because legal procedures had not been completed.
"Even when Baba lived, Sifuna did not shy from contradicting Baba, contradicting everybody and the positions he had run. So it's a formality gone through. He is formally out," Kaluma said.
Kaluma noted that although Sifuna remains an ODM senator and continues serving in Senate committees, the party should move to enforce the law and its internal rules.
"Law, unfortunately, has not been actioned. He remains in the committees that he is serving in as a member of the Senate," he said.
The lawmaker also accused Siaya Governor James Orengo of turning against ODM after declaring the party was no longer active and encouraging supporters to join the Linda Mwananchi movement.
"While he is contradicting his party, he is pronouncing his party dead. He is saying he now belongs to the other party and he's promoting it by encouraging people to leave the party where he's still serving as governor," Kaluma said.
He called on ODM to use its disciplinary structures against members who publicly oppose the party’s positions, warning that failing to act could weaken political parties.
"Ideally, ODM through its structure should whip the membership of people like James Orengo and people like Sifuna," he said.
Kaluma said allowing party members to openly support competing political formations creates confusion and makes indiscipline appear acceptable within political parties.
He added that the challenge was not unique to ODM, saying similar issues existed in UDA, Wiper and other parties, affecting the strength of Kenya’s multi-party system.
"We need to act within the law and enforce the law without fear or favour. Then we will have a multi-party democratic state in the manner we contemplated," he said.
His remarks come shortly after Sifuna was removed as the Senate Deputy Minority Whip and after the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) approved changes that saw him lose his position as ODM Secretary General.