The ODM top organ has summoned Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, county assembly speaker James Namatsi and former majority leader Philip Maina over wrangles in the assembly leadership.
Secretary general Edwin Sifuna on Wednesday said the three have been frustrating a decision of the party to replace Maina with Geoffrey Ondiro as the majority leader.
The summons flows a petition filed by ODM MCAs to the Central Management Committee regarding reorganisation of assembly committees by Maina.
The ward reps petitioned the top decision-making organ of the party on the grounds that the right procedures were not followed in reshuffling the committees, with a bias to remove those perceived to be unfriendly to the governor from assembly leadership.
“The party insists that forthwith, the speaker must implement its directives and, further, that all purported changes to committee membership/leadership be and are hereby revoked,” Sifuna said.
The state of affairs in Kakamega county assembly had become unacceptable.
“The party via official communication designated Hon Geoffrey Ondiro as the majority leader. This directive has, however, been repeatedly frustrated by individuals led by the county governor, the speaker and the former leader of majority Hon Maina.
“The committee has therefore resolved to summon the three to appear before it at a date to be communicated.”
Kongoni MCA Robert Makhanu said that parties in coalition were bypassed in the proposed changes in assembly leadership.
“Parties should retreat and come up with lists, which are forwarded to the assembly, which in turn issues a notice of intended reorganisation of the committees, so that members can begin lobbying for their leadership. This did not happen and that is why we petitioned the party,” he said.
Earlier, Governor Barasa said that the party had not consulted him as the Kakamega ODM chairman before changing the majority leader in the assembly.
He said the move amounted to interference with operations of the county assembly.
