Doublespeak in ODM as MP Kaluma now says Raila to send Ruto CS nominees’ list

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) now appears to be speaking from both sides of the mouth after Homa Bay Town Member of Parliament Peter Kaluma on Tuesday openly contradicted a statement earlier issued by party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna.

Sifuna, in a statement released on Tuesday morning, said the party is not negotiating for any coalition agreement or lobbying for appointments with President William Ruto’s government.

This came in the wake of reports that Ruto has offered the party leader Raila Odinga five Cabinet slots, despite disagreements within the opposition Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition.

MP Kaluma however, speaking in the National Assembly later in the afternoon, confirmed a perceived agreement between ODM and the Kenya Kwanza government to absolve some of the party members into the remaining Cabinet positions.

He disclosed that Mr. Odinga is indeed supposed to be sending President Ruto a list of candidates to be considered for Cabinet Secretary positions in the course of the week.

The legislator intimated that the former premier made a pact with ruling regime to forward his own list of names for consideration in a bid to forge a government of national unity where no community is left behind.

“I want to congratulate the President for the appointments but also request that within the week, as soon as tomorrow, we want to see those appointments Baba was to forward today and we want all of them approved, and if that can happen then we are going to push this very fast. We cannot leave anybody out,” he said.

Kaluma went on to assert that he would not sit pretty and wait for the President to appoint a Cabinet that discriminates against other communities.

He underscored that all communities pay equal amounts of taxes and thus the appointments in State offices and the Public Service Commission (PSC) should be balanced and inclusive.

“We are at a point in time when the nation is looking up to us to provide the leadership it needs. Last week even as the ODM party, we sat and said the government of Kenya belongs to all of us,” he noted.

“I am saying this because I don’t want some confusion. I am seeing circulations of somebody saying that if ODM members are appointed to government they are going on their own. We met and resolved…so don’t say No because when ODM speaks, even Azimio has spoken.”

The MP added: “Article 232 says the public service will have the face of Kenya. All ethnic communities will be there, and persons of gender quotas under Article 27 will be there. As a person from an ethnic community, I will not agree to a position where people say everybody is in the government except Luos yet Luos also pay taxes.”

ODM Secretary General Sifuna, in his statement, had sought to clarify that the party supports the ongoing protests for reforms spearheaded by the Kenyan youth, or Gen Zs.

He stated that the party is no way in talks to join hands with the government, but rather seeks “a national conversation” preceded by the implementation of conditions recently issued by Mr. Odinga .

These conditions include compensations to families of victims f extra-judicial killings since last year, unconditional release of all anti-government protesters, prosecution of rogue police officers, as well as the sacking of Nairobi Police Commander Adamson Bungei.

“Some of our members have also fallen for the campaign of lies and misinterpreted our stance as a license to engage the Kenya Kwanza leadership and canvass for ministerial and/or other positions in the Ruto government,” said Sifuna.

“As a party, we wish to make it unequivocally clear that we are not in negotiations with the Ruto regime for any coalition or political arrangement. Any ODM member who makes themselves available to join the Kenya Kwanza Cabinet or any other position should know that they do so without the blessing or support of the party.”

The statement by Sifuna and the subsequent remarks by MP Kaluma are the latest show of flip-flopping by the party after Siaya Governor Jams Orengo and Nominated MP John Mbadi, who is the party’s National Chairman, also gave contradicting statements on the matter over the weekend.