Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has been removed as Deputy Senate Minority Whip. Senate Speaker Amason Kingi confirmed the decision, which follows a resolution by the Minority Party to replace him with Homa Bay Senator Eddy Oketch.
In a communication to the Senate on Thursday, Speaker Kingi stated that he had received correspondence from Senate Minority Leader Senator Stewart Madzayo. This included minutes from a Minority Party meeting held on 15 July and a signed list of senators supporting the resolution to remove Sifuna.
“The minority party has effected a change in the office of the Deputy Senate Minority Whip. The new officeholder, with immediate effect, is Senator Eddy Gicheru Oketch, MP,” Kingi announced.
The Speaker confirmed that he had verified the submitted documents, in accordance with Standing Order 23, before communicating the change to the House.
The communication indicated that the Minority Party resolved to remove Sifuna under Standing Order 23(4), which permits a senator elected to a minority leadership position to be removed by a majority vote of senators belonging to the Minority Party. The meeting also elected Oketch to succeed Sifuna, pursuant to Standing Order 23(5).
Kingi noted that the process complied with Standing Order 23(6), which requires such decisions to be communicated to the Speaker, along with the meeting minutes and supporting documentation, before being conveyed to the Senate within three sitting days.
The latest development comes just days after the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties upheld the Orange Democratic Movement’s (ODM) decision to remove Sifuna as the party’s Secretary General.
In a letter dated 9 July, the Registrar confirmed that ODM had adhered to the Political Parties Act and its constitution in conducting a fresh disciplinary process that led to Sifuna’s removal. Subsequently, the Registrar updated the party’s official records to reflect this leadership change.
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