Senator Edwin Sifuna’s case will proceed after the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) allowed the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party’s Internal Dispute Resolution Mechanism (IDRM) to continue, while affirming its jurisdiction to hear the matter.
In its ruling in case PPDTC/E014/2026, the tribunal directed that the ODM internal disciplinary process should proceed, but its final outcome will await the determination of the dispute before the tribunal.
The decision comes amid strong opposition from ODM, which had urged the tribunal to strike out Sifuna’s application, arguing that it raises no new issues. Through its lawyer Ken Amondi, the party told the tribunal that the case is essentially a reintroduction of a previously determined dispute.
Amondi argued that the application is “an attempt to revive” issues that had already failed to meet procedural thresholds, maintaining that Sifuna had not presented any new material facts to justify reopening the matter.
The party further contended that Sifuna had not exhausted internal dispute resolution mechanisms as required by law, insisting that the tribunal should not interfere with an ongoing disciplinary process. ODM also opposed attempts to suspend its National Executive Committee (NEC) resolution and related disciplinary proceedings, warning that such orders would disrupt the party’s governance structures.
However, Senior Counsel Isaac Okero, appearing for Sifuna, defended the application, arguing that it was properly before the tribunal and that internal mechanisms had been pursued. He challenged the legality of the NEC resolution made on February 11, 2026, stating that it resulted in Sifuna’s removal as Secretary General without notice or a hearing.
Okero told the tribunal that the party’s actions violated due process, adding, “It is a characteristic… when faced with the adversity of adherence to the rule of law… the reaction is to place one’s head in the sand.”
He maintained that the resolution was immediate and self-executing and that any subsequent disciplinary steps could not cure what he termed as an initial violation of Sifuna’s rights.
The tribunal, chaired by Gad Gathu Kiragu alongside members Jin Muzna Mohamed Yusuf, Stephen Musau, Theresa Chepkwony and Abdirahman Adan Abdikadir, ruled that the matter will proceed as both the tribunal case and ODM’s internal processes run concurrently.
The case remains active before the tribunal.
