Press Statement by the ODM National Election Board on Forthcoming Party Elections

NATIONAL ELECTIONS BOARD
PRESS STATEMENT

The Orange Democratic Movement – ODM National Elections Board wishes to announce to the participating candidates in the upcoming elections on 28th February 2014 – March 1st 2014 as follows:

We wish to confirm to the various applicants, delegates and the ODM fraternity that the elections shall proceed as scheduled on the 28 February – March 1st 2014.

We assure all stakeholders that there are no preferred candidates and the only candidates we have are in the list released today by this Election Board.

A final list shall be released upon confirmation that’s the candidates have complied with the terms and conditions as set out in our election and nomination rules.

So far 93 application forms were picked, 89 were returned by the deadline of 31st January 2014 and only four were not returned. The 93 applications were received from all regions of this country.

The complete delegates register shall be released to the delegates in due course.

As a board we wish to reaffirm that we are professional, impartial and dedicated to ensure that we have a free and fair election.

The board is also satisfied by the preparations so far done by the National Secretariat of the party and the NDC planning committee.


HON. JUDITH PARENO,
Chairperson, ODM National Elections Board

Prof Anyang' Nyong'o Bows out of race to defend his ODM Secretary General Seat.

BUILDING THE ODM INTO THE FUTURE

"I have done the state some service,
And they know No more of that." Othello
From William Shakespeare, OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE, Act V, Scene II, (line 340-42).

"Like Othello the Moor, I would like to say that I have done our party ODM some service, and our members know it; no more of that. The time has come to appreciate the achievements we have had since 2005 and the commitment of the party leadership to the noble goal of delivering a new constitution to Kenyans as a landmark of the Second Liberation.

ODM has indeed been the party of reform led by Raila Amolo Odinga as the indefatigable crusader for change over the past three decades. I am happy to have worked with him together with the national party leaders, and to have connected with grassroots leaders and the masses all over our Republic. Kenyans still look up to the ODM to keep the fire of change burning, and never to give in to the charlatans of reaction and the defenders of the status quo in our pursuit to live in a national democratic and prosperous society. Our agenda remains uncompleted.

The building of a national democratic and developmental state in Kenya will have to go beyond the democratic gains in the current constitution. It is urgent and necessary to dismantle the vestiges of presidential authoritarian rule in our society while also eliminating ethnic hegemonic politics in our political culture. Above all, however, ODM must be committed to the sincere construction of the politics of inclusion in our economy, our representative bodies as well as in all government institutions. Success in these endeavours will energise all Kenyans to contribute their best in national development.

On two occasions we have won elections and were robbed of our victory due to the greed and gross misuse of state power by the incumbents and vested interests in the authoritarian regimes we have always sought to liberate Kenyans from. With that in mind, it needs to be made crystal clear to all Kenyans that the struggle is still on, and that visionary leadership, and not simply leaders with a sense of entitlement, will be able to provide the political roadmap into our democratic future.

In or outside the formal structures of the party leadership I will always contribute to the democratic struggle and the Third Liberation. In that regard I see myself spending more time on policy issues for our party and CORD, and deepening collaboration between CORD and civil society on ideas, policies and programmes for inclusive politics and national development under a devolved system of government.

Let me therefore conclude that I have served two terms as ODM Secretary General. At the coming Annual Delegates Congress I will not offer my candidature for election. I urge those aspiring for this post to be civil in their campaigns, conscious of the party constitution and its policies, and always ready to prioritise strengthening of the party above individual ambition"

P. Anyang' Nyong'o
Secretary General, ODM.
NAIROBI, 15th January, 2014.

Official Clarification to Aspirants on the ODM National Elections

FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS DESK
 
The Orange Democratic Movement  wishes to inform all the Members and supporters countrywide that the National Delegates Convention ( NDC ) will be held on the 28th Feb and 1st March 2014.

The National Elections Board of the party will conduct the exercise as provided for in the Party Constitution and the Elections and Nominations Rules.
 
The NEB has set a fee of Ksh. 10, 000 for anyone aspiring to vie for any of the 27 seats in the National Office.

All applicants for the positions in the National Office 'must be' Life Members of the ODM. This is about loyalty and commitment to the party's policies and ideologies.
 
Any information contrary to this should be treated as rumours or innuendos aimed at misleading the party membership.
 
ODM urges its members and supporters with questions or seeking clarification regarding the upcoming event to advance the same through the right channels and organs of the party and not other forums.
 
ODM which is a National Movement; believes in democracy and will forever uphold all the basic tenets of the same.
 
ODM has no intentions whatsoever to lock out anyone from vying for any of the seats in the national office. It is not even thinking of favouring any of the aspirants as all members of the party are treated equally.
 
P. Etale.
Director of Communications - ODM.
09 January 2014

Statement of the Resolutions of ODM-NEC on Party National Elections

The National Executive Committee (NEC) members meeting today (Tuesday 7th Jan 2014) at Orange House under the chairmanship of the party leader the Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga made the following resolution;

The National Delegates Convention (NDC) which is the party's top decision making organ shall be held on the 28th of February and the 1st of March 2014.

During the two day event, delegates will be deliberate on various matters of importance to the party and thereafter take part in the most important exercise which is to elect the party's new National Office bearers.

The positions to be contested at the NDC as per the party's new constitution are as follows;
 

1. The Party Leader
2. The Deputy Party Leader
3. The National Chairperson
4. The Deputy Chairperson
5. The Secretary General
6. The Deputy Secretary General
7. The National Treasurer
8. The Deputy National Treasurer - Finance
9. The National Organizing Secretary
10. The Deputy Organizing Secretary
11. Secretary for Public Policy and Economic Affairs
12. Secretary for Legal and Constitutional Affairs
13. Secretary for Publicity and Information
14. Secretary for International Affairs
15. Secretary for Women Affairs (OWDL)
16. Secretary for Youth Affairs (OYDL)
17. Secretary for Special Interest Groups
18. Secretary for Environment
19. Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs
20. Secretary for Devolved Government
21. Secretary for Science and Technology
22. Secretary for Labour and Human Resource Development
23. Secretary for Special Programmes, Security and Social Welfare
24. Secretary for Humanitarian and Disaster Management Affairs
25. Secretary for Disability Affairs
26. Secretary for Political Affairs

The convention shall be held at the Kasarani Sports Gymnasium in Nairobi.
 
Party members wishing to contest the aforementioned positions should apply to the National Elections Board upon notice indicating the positions they intend to run for in the elections. We urge all those aspiring candidates for these party positions to desist from divisive politics and to campaign among party members in accordance with the party election rules and regulations. Engagement in untoward behavior such as bribery, ethnic incitement, hate speech and thuggery will lead to automatic disqualification.

On regional affairs, the ODM NEC calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities in South Sudan and the realization of a political settlement to ensure peace, democracy and national development. We are particularly concerned with the suffering of the people of South Sudan, especially women and children. People cannot access food and medicine as a result of the controlled use of airspace in some parts of the country.

ODM calls for complete neutrality of neighboring countries, and appeals to the mediators in the conflict to facilitate the release of all the detainees so that they can participate in the process of resolving the conflict and creating a democratic political order. We urge the government South Sudan to allow freedom of the press and access to information during this period of conflict.

We urge the government of Kenya to be on the lead in the road to the stabilization of South Sudan owing to the socio-economic ties the two nations enjoy.

The NEC wishes our party leader the Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga a Happy Birthday today.

Thank you and God Bless you all.

Prof. Anyang' Nyong'o
Secretary General. 
Orange House, Tuesday 7th Jan 2014

Raila Odinga: My Encounters with Madiba

BY RAILA ODINGA

When Nelson Mandela visited Kenya upon his release from detention, I was in detention myself so I only heard of his visit.

But I was later to meet Mandela on several different occasions. Each meeting left very lasting impressions.

We first met at the Mandela Lounge at the Michelangelo Towers in Sandton City on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

It was at this meeting that he told me that he had wanted to meet Jaramogi Oginga Odinga during his first visit to Kenya but he did not because the State did not make arrangements for it.

He told me he had met Jaramogi way back in 1963 when the OAU was being launched in Addis.

ANC was one of the liberation movements that had been invited to Addis, together with KANU and movements from all nations that were struggling for independence including all Portuguese colonies.

Mandela recalled that it was himself and Jaramogi who were chosen to speak on behalf of liberation movements and a strong bond developed between the two of them.

He remembered vividly and emotionally the events of that day in Addis during our first meeting. I was amazed at the clarity of his thoughts about an event that took place so many years ago, despite many years of being cut off the rest of the world by detention.

At that meeting he talked to me about my on detention and I told him he had been my inspiration. I told him I kept saying if Mandela could do 27, why could I not do more. He took it very humbly and lightly. I was there with my wife Ida and he was with Graca.

Next we met at his home in Johannesburg with our families. I was with mine and he was with his and grand children. We spent a long time and I was amazed how easy he was with small children, familiar with the habits of each and knowing them by name.

At that meeting, he talked much about the importance of family particularly at times of great struggle.

Our other meeting was at his other home in Cape Town. This time his memory was fading and had a problem hearing. He had to be told things and he would then respond.

Our meeting was at his residence in Johannesburg. This time too he was not so much himself.

The remarkable thing was that even when he was ailing, his spirit was still very strong and he was very composed. His legs were weak he needed quite a bit of support.

But he retained a unique capacity to grasp and interpret international issues. You would mention an issue taking place on the international stage and he would quickly give an interpretation of what it meant and where it was leading.

Looking at his advanced age and the times in which he grew up, one would think Mandela was part of the old stock of politicians but he was well above them and completely different.

He strongly believed in term limits. He was very unhappy that leaders were reversing constitutions to extend their stay in power. He felt two terms were more than enough for leaders to do whatever they want to do for their people.

At one stage, I was with him as debate was raging in two African countries where the sitting presidents wanted to extend term limits. He was very unhappy about it.

Mandela was quite passionate about the issue of HIV/AIDS. He wanted open discussions about Aids. He was very unhappy with leaders who tried to sweep it under the carpet.

In all my encounters with Mandela, it was impossible not to notice the kind of support Graca was giving him.

I don’t think Madiba would have made it this far without the support the lady gave him. It was amazing and this recognition is missing in the condolences.

Graca insisted on making Madiba look stately even with failing health and advancing age.

I recall Graca did not attend the signing of our Peace Accord because Madiba’s health had deteriorated and he needed her support.

Around Madiba, Graca exuded a sense of responsibility that is unmatched.

(Odinga is CORD Leader and a former Prime Minister of Kenya)

Hon Raila Odinga Statement Against the Appointment of the JSC Tribunal

By Raila Odinga

What began as a disciplinary hearing against an employee of the Judiciary has now matured into a major inter-branch conflict within the government, engulfing the Judiciary, the presidency and the legislature, and culminating in the appointment yesterday of a tribunal to look into the suitability of six members of the Judicial Service Commission to continue in office.

The situation has reached here because of a failure of leadership at every point. There was a failure of leadership when the Speaker of the National Assembly allowed the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee to assume jurisdiction over the dispute between the Judicial Service Commission and the former Chief Registrar of the Judiciary despite the fact that this was an internal issue of the Judiciary and secondly, notwithstanding the fact that the matter was still under deliberation within the JSC.

There was also a failure of leadership when the National Assembly adopted the report of the Legal Affairs Committee calling for a tribunal for the removal of the six members. Better counsel would have led to the search for a more amicable way of dealing with this matter at that point.

The President had a choice to accept the recommendation of the National Assembly for the appointment of a tribunal or to reject the recommendation. He could have used the opportunity presented to him to bring about dialogue among the concerned branches with a view to averting the crisis that we are now experiencing.

However, he has failed to do so and has chosen to appoint a tribunal whose effect would be to dismember the Judiciary and to leave it as an appendage of the presidency and the Legislature. Again, the failures by the president have been failures in judgment, and in leadership. It is now clear that the president is a willing participant in the scheme to destroy the Judiciary.

The appointment of the tribunal must be viewed in the wider scheme of what is going on in the country at the moment. The National Assembly has already enacted the Kenya Information and Communication Bill, which contains severe limitations on the freedom of the media in Kenya.

Currently, the National Assembly is debating amendments to the Public Benefits Organizations Bill, the passage of which will severely limit funding for civil society organizations in the country, and bring an end to the culture of civic vigilance which is an important source of the freedoms that we enjoy in this country.

Insecurity reigns in the country with the bandits holding free reign in northern Kenya while the promise to institute inquiry into Westgate attack remains just that; a promise.

Viewed together, these three developments lead to the conclusion that the Jubilee government is determined to bring an end to all autonomous institutions in the country. A pattern of a return to repression is taking shape. What is being attempted currently is to establish a country of presidential and legislative tyranny, and where no other institution in and out of the government will be allowed a voice. The people of Kenya must wake up to the fact that the new Constitution which they enacted and which they cherish, is now under threat because of the actions of this government.

The choice of members of the tribunal to look into the suitability of the six members of the JSC merits comment. All four have close ties with the ruling party. The inescapable conclusion is that their selection is motivated by a desire to reach a pre-determined outcome. The proposed tribunal is, therefore, an act of deception, clothed in the formalities of a constitutional process. CORD rejects both the individuals selected and the idea of the Tribunal, and calls upon the president to revoke the appointment.

As the country knows, CORD has taken blows in the hands of the Judiciary, whose decision in the presidential election petition we did not agree with but which we still accepted. We did so because we believe in the rule of law, which is now under attack through the actions of the President and the National Assembly.

Our belief in the rule of law brings us to the defence of the Judiciary, even though we do not admire its record. We call upon the Judiciary to remain steadfast in the face of this blatant bullying by the presidency and the legislature.

It is not too late to find an amicable resolution of this mater. CORD also calls upon the President to lead in the search for such a resolution of the crisis that he and the National Assembly have created.

The writer is Party Leader, Coalition for Reform & Democracy (CORD) and former Prime Minister Republic of Kenya

Official Statement of the CORD Parliamentary Group Meeting of 29th October 2013

OFFICIAL CORD PG STATEMENT

We members of the CORD Parliamentary Group, Governors Summit and National Executive Committees meeting at Orange House on the 29th day of October, 2013 wish to make the following statement:

We congratulate Gov. Cornel Rasanga and the Honorable Stephen Mule for recapturing the Siaya Gubernatorial and Matungulu parliamentary seats respectively in the just concluded by elections.As a Coalition we also commiserate with our brother Hon. KalembeNdile for losing the Kibwezi West seat.

We also thank our members and supporters in the areas where by-Elections were held for the many votes they gave our candidates. We urge them to remain steadfast and do the same in the upcoming by Elections slated for December this year.

We shall continue being united as a Coalition in the forthcoming by-election scheduled for December 2013 in Bungoma, LungaLunga, NyaribariChache, BomachogeBorabu and the vacant County Wards across the country. We ask our members and supporters to remain peaceful and show political maturity during the campaigns.

The Kenyan Government with the help of some member states of the African Union (AU) has requested for a deferral of the two cases before the ICC by invoking Article 16 of the Rome Statute. It’s to be noted that the Rome Statute itself has provided this specific mechanisms for purposes of a deferral. This factor should be born in mind by those calling for a withdrawal from the ICC or the repeal of the International Crimes Act. For the record, CORD has not changed its position on this matter and we are prepared to have a structured and constructive engagement with both the Government and the International Community within the context of the Rome Statute to ensure that victims get justice and impunity is punished.

CORD wishes again to condole and extend its sympathies to the victims of the Westgate Mall attack. Our view is that in handling both the attack and its aftermath elements within the security forces mishandled the operations. We note that the KDF has admitted that there was looting by some soldiers. We call upon the President to immediately establish an independent judicial commission of inquiry to investigate and establish the circumstances surrounding the planning and execution of the attack and the subsequent conduct of Public officials and institutions including the Disciplined Forces and the NSIS. CORD as the official opposition should be involved in making recommendations regarding the persons to be appointed as Commissioners.

Lately we have seen an unlawful and unconstitutional invasion of the freedom of the media and the freedom of expression. These two freedoms are the basic pillar and foundation of an open and democratic system of government. We will not allow the carpet to be rolled back against this fundamental democratic space that Kenyans fought for valiantly for so many years. The government should come out clearly both in its conduct and management of public affairs whether it supports and is prepared to protect these basic freedoms.

Finally CORD members of the National Assembly have drafted a Bill which is undergoing publication for purposes of exempting essential commodities from VAT. We call upon the leadership of the National Assembly to prioritize and expedite debate and enactment of the Bill.