Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Members of Parliament opposed to the government have been purged from key committees in the National Assembly.
In the latest changes, Suba South MP Caroli Omondi was removed from the powerful Constitution Implementation and Oversight Committee (CIOC) and moved to the Sports and Culture Committee.
Omondi’s position in CIOC was taken over by Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba.
Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi was ejected from the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education. Kibagendi will be replaced by Kasipul MP Boyd Were.
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Kisumu Women Representative Ruth Odinga was, on the other hand, moved from the Agriculture Committee to the Committee on Members' Services and Facilities.
Speaking after the changes, the Leader of the Minority in the National Assembly, Junet Mohamed, said the move serves as a warning to lawmakers who fail to adhere to party positions.
"I am serving a warning as the leader of the minority. Anyone who will not adhere to the party line will relinquish their committee positions to lesser ones, so that they get to know that it is parties that reward people with committee positions," Junet noted.
Meanwhile, Omondi has protested his removal from CIOC, claiming that he was unfairly targeted.
The Suba South MP alleged that the state does not want him in the committee because he will oversight elections.
“They don’t want to be the chair CIOC because I am going to oversight the general election. They want to rig the election, that is why they don’t want me in CIOC,” Omondi claimed.
The changes came weeks after Omondi was named as the new Secretary General of the Azimio la Umoja coalition.
Omondi was appointed to the position following the party's National Executive Council (NEC), chaired by retired president Uhuru Kenyatta.
Omondi and Kibagendi have also been part of the ODM’s Linda Mwananchi faction, which is opposed to the re-election of President William Ruto.
