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A fierce storm has hit the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) threatening to tear apart the Raila Odinga led outfit over Parliamentary Committee positions.
In a hard-hitting statement, the ODM youths drawn from Nairobi county and led by Embakasi East chairman Stephen Abwao, Raila has been told to rise to the occasion and reclaim the party from cartels and conmen’ who have ‘invaded it’.
According to the ODM youth members and their leaders, the ODM party leadership has shown disrespect to Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi, who was the Azimio chairperson for Nairobi in the last elections by denying him chance to lead powerful Parliamentary committees.
“We want Tim to be respected, we won’t allow this to continue, or else will just quit this party,”the lamented.
The vibrant youths said Wanyonyi, stepped down from contesting for the Nairobi Governors seat in favour of little-muscled Polycarp Igathe who lost terribly to UDA’s Johnson Sakaja.
They added that, Wanyonyi was the people’s favourite and would have easily won the contest but he was forced by Raila and then President Uhuru Kenyatta to step down against the wishes of majority of party supporters.
“Hon Tim Wanyonyi deserves influential committees. He is supposed to lead some of these influential and powerful committees not a mere member. We need him to be in the watchdog committees. We need a strong voice like his to push our agenda,” he said.
Flanked by other leaders, the youths warned that they will not sit back and watch as Mr Wanyonyi being humiliated while nominated MPs like John Mbadi are rewarded at the expense of elected MPs who have invested heavily in the party.
Earlier, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino had raised the red flags over formation of committees where he alleged that some party officials had decided to sideline youthful MPs who had stood with the party strongly and fiercely defended Mr Odinga
