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Kenya

Major changes due in ODM leadership

NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 5 – Major changes are due in the leadership of the Orange Democratic Movement, when it finally holds its National Governing Council meeting next month.

Speaking after a three-hour National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Tuesday chaired by party leader Raila Odinga, ODM chairman Henry Kosgey said that they would use the delegates conference to review the party\’s performance and elect new members.

"The NEC and the Parliamentary Group shall hold a retreat in three weeks time ahead of the NGC. The NEC has resolved to strengthen the party electoral strategy to ensure success in future election," he said.

The decision comes after MPs who earlier met on Monday argued that the party must re-organise its secretariat which they blamed for the poor performance in recent by-elections, which saw ODM fail to clinch the South Mugirango, Matuga and Makadara seats.

Secretary General Anyang Nyong\’o and the Executive Director Janet Ongera have been blamed for high handedness in dealing with the party affairs including the issue of nominations.

However, Mr Kosgey defended the Nyongo`s absence at the meeting saying that he was away in Washington on official government business.

Lawmakers seeking an overhaul of the ODM Secretariat have demanded to know how it settled on candidates in Makadara, South Mugirango and Juja, while the eventual winners, Mike Mbuvi, Manson Nyamweya and William Kabogo, had also unsuccessfully sought ODM tickets.

The MPs have suggested that the party should have subjected all the candidates to a poll to pick popular contenders.

The gathering is expected to take a mid-term review of the party\’s performance since joining the coalition government in 2008.

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Prime Minister Raila Odinga will, this week, begin a series of meetings with MPs from different regions to seek ways of holding the party together and make it a formidable force in the 2012 General Election.

Apart from a planned re-organisation of the party secretariat, the party leader has also lined up a series of consultative meetings with ODM MPs from all regions in the country.

Mr Odinga is expected to start with ODM MPs from the Coast Province next week to address the region\’s development agenda and also lay out the party\’s strategies for the 2012 presidential elections focus.

The party also called for a free and fair referendum in Sudan where the semi-autonomous state of the south will go to the polls in January to decide whether they want to secede from the north.

 

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