NAIROBI, Novemeber 10 – Further splits within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) are likely to emerge after the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) resolved not to reject the controversial report on post election violence.
Party Secretary General Anyang’ Nyong’o on Tuesday said NEC had appointed a team to study the Waki report before deciding whether to agree with the party’s Parliamentary group which rejected the report two weeks ago.
Speaking after a four hour meeting attended by Prime Minister Raila Odinga at the party’s Orange House headquarters, Prof Nyong’o said the official party position would become clear once the team handed its report in ten days.
“They will work with the strategic and legal team and advise the party accordingly. Members of the committee will include Martin Shikuku, Mumbi Ngaru and Ochillo Ayacko,” he said.
The Waki report has caused sharp differences in ODM, with Mr Odinga and Cabinet Minister William Ruto differing publicly.
Barely two weeks ago Mr Odinga led 75 ODM MPs in rejecting the Waki findings. He had previously been pushing for the full implementation of the report but after four-and a-half hour parliamentary group meeting he declared the report flawed, a move which seemed to go down well with Mr Ruto.
Prof Nyong’o said views expressed by the MPs could not be taken as the official party position as they represented only one party organ.
In an Interview with Capital News, ODM PG Secretary Ababu Namwamba said they would not fight the latest move.
“It will however be interesting to see if they would come up with a different stand from that taken by the MPs,” he said.
The Party of National Unity (PNU) last week made an about-turn and pledged to back full implementation of the Waki Commission report on post-election violence.
In a meeting chaired by Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, the coalition partner’s changed their earlier stand that the report was flawed after several hours of deliberation.
They said implementing it would eliminate the culture of impunity by bringing to book those who committed crimes against humanity during the post-election violence.
Meanwhile, the ODM’s NEC has postponed the party grassroots elections which were to be held at the end of November to December 6.
Mr Nyong’o said the five day exercise would be followed by a National Delegates Conference on December 18.
“Party recruitment will however continue at all branch offices,” he said.
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