Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga’s push to overhaul the party’s election management body faces hurdles, with key leaders disagreeing with the proposed mode of recruitment.
The ODM boss is keen on kicking out the current five-member National Elections Board team and installing another one that would spearhead the party’s planned grassroots elections next year.
However, it has emerged that a proposal to sidestep a competitive process has triggered a storm among the party’s top brass, threatening to delay the unveiling of the team.
A meeting convened last week by the party’s Central Management Committee and the National Executive Committee failed to adopt a proposal for headhunting that was put on the table.
Some members are said to have expressed reservations with the names that were tabled and asked for more time to consult amid a push to advertise the positions.
While the party’s top officials have not commented on the matter publicly, the Star has established that the process is roiled in vicious intrigues.
On Tuesday, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna did not speak to any intrigues but confirmed that the recruitment process for the new NEB officials had been sanctioned by the party.
“We agreed the board needs to be reconstituted. We are looking for new commissioners and will announce the new board when the process is done,’’ he said.
Raila is said to have been keen on the party headhunting for the next NEB officials as opposed to subjecting the recruitment to a competitive process.
The ODM boss then tasked a few allies to scout for possible names, which were tabled before the NEC last week.
A top ODM official said the NEC meeting reviewed the names but could not make the final decision as some members expressed reservations.
National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi said the NEC meeting did not exhaustively deal with the matter of the recruitment process adding that another meeting will be called soon.
The Central Management Committee, a lean team that superintends on key party decisions, had approved a proposal to hire election officials behind closed doors.
Once officially installed, the team will take charge of the ODM’s upcoming grassroots and National Elections planned for next year.
“The party is headhunting for the new board members and will unveil them soon,” a senior ODM official who sought anonymity told the Star last week.
The official had said that the party decided to use private ways to recruit the next crop of election officials to get the best-qualified individuals with impeccable attributes and credentials.
“There was a feeling that if we went the advertisement way, we may not necessarily attract the best-qualified individuals and therefore the need to scout for individuals who can be trusted,” he said.
This would be the third time that Raila’s party will be headhunting for members of the election officials as it moves to lay ground for the 2027 general elections.
The term of the current board chaired by nominated Senator Catherine Mumma was to end in 2025, but Raila has decided to cut short the members’ term in one of the grand house cleaning plans.
The Mumma team assumed office in August 2020 as Raila put his house for 2022 and amid pressure to restore sanity and credibility in the party’s nomination process.
However, the elections board had been accused of bungling party nominations, leading to ODM's poor showing in the 2022 General Election.
A stormy meeting by the NEC held in July to review the performance of the elections officials concluded that the team bungled the 2022 nominations.
In the last polls, the party’s performance nosedived drastically to a low of 87 Members of the National Assembly, down from 171 in 2017.
Those who bolted out and ran on other tickets made their way to Parliament and county assemblies, dwindling the ODM numbers against the ruling Kenya Kwanza.
There are reports that Raila’s plans for a 2027 presidential bid have forced him to execute a ruthless and radical purge of the ODM's top organs including the NEB.
He is using the reconstitution of the NEB as part of his plans to revamp the party ahead of the 2027 polls.
The NEB is a powerful organ that manages the party’s internal elections both at the grassroots and at the national level with superintending influence over the nominations process.
In the past, the NEB has been blamed for shambolic nominations that resulted in stronger candidates being starved of tickets in favour of weaker ones, handing ODM devastating losses at the ballots.
Disgruntled candidates who claimed unfairness ended up running as independents while some ditched the party and crossed over to other parties, tilting the scales against the party.
Raila is under pressure from his allies to take, what they have termed as the ultimate shot at the country's presidency despite losing five times in the past.
A strong, credible and incorruptible elections body would ensure that the party's popular candidates secure tickets for the 2027 polls to avert any acrimonious falling out that could hurt the presidential vote.