Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has returned to the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) seeking protection against fresh attempts to remove him as the Secretary-General of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
In his application, Mr. Sifuna wants the tribunal to suspend the implementation of the party’s February 11 decision that removed him from office.
He is also seeking to halt the disciplinary proceedings against him before the party’s disciplinary committee.
He stated that the party has embraced a process whose outcome is already predetermined, despite earlier PPDT directives that ODM should resolve the dispute internally through its party mechanisms.
Mr. Sifuna moved to the tribunal after ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga wrote to him last week, asking him to respond to allegations of misconduct and to appear before the disciplinary committee.
He argues that the National Executive Council’s decision to remove him violated his right to a fair hearing.
“That decision was reached without informing me of any allegations and without giving me any opportunity to defend myself,” Mr. Sifuna stated in his filing.
The disagreement between Mr. Sifuna and ODM arose after the party removed him from his position following a National Executive Council meeting on February 11.
Mr. Sifuna says the matter was not even listed on the meeting agenda, nor was he informed beforehand that such a decision would be made.
When he initially went to the PPDT, ODM was ordered to resolve the matter in accordance with party rules, after which Ms. Wanga wrote to him requesting that he defend himself.
Mr. Sifuna now claims the disciplinary process has already been compromised and its outcome predetermined, alleging that the party is simply intent on removing him.
He questioned why he was asked to respond to allegations while, at the same time, the party had already set a date for disciplinary proceedings against him.
He also criticized ODM for taking two months to formally outline the complaints against him and for failing to provide supporting documentation for the charges.
In this case, he is asking the PPDT to suspend all disciplinary proceedings against him and to nullify the NEC decision that removed him from office.
Mr. Sifuna’s return to the tribunal now leaves the PPDT with the difficult task of resolving the dispute instead of leaving it to the party.
The case has been certified as urgent and is scheduled to be heard today at 2:30 p.m.
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