Quit, ODM tells KRA, Kenya Power chairpersons over UDA election roles

The ODM party has demanded the resignation of Kenya Revenue Authority Chairman Anthony Mwaura and his Kenya Power counterpart Joy Mdivo after they were chosen to run the UDA's grassroots elections.

ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna said: "We deliberated on the developments in other parties and their implications for the nation. In particular, the Committee expressed deep concerns over developments in UDA, where public officers, paid by taxpayers from all political formations, have been appointed as party officials.

He went on: "We are staring at the return of the Party State system last seen in the 1980s where party leaders and public servants were one and the same thing. What followed was a youth wing with watchdog or surveillance responsibilities over the entire nation. We take the position that this development is wrong. It is a recipe for chaos, dictatorship and partisanship in the management of public affairs.

Mr Sifuna added: "Consequently, we demand that all those people who have been named as UDA officials must immediately resign from public service. There is no way they will serve two masters, the public and the UDA party."

On Tuesday, United Democratic Alliance (UDA) appointed Mr Mwaura as the chairman of the party's National Elections Board, and Ms Mdivo as the head of the Electoral Dispute Resolution Committee for party elections that are to be held from April 26 to August 24, 2024.

For its part, ODM announced staggered grassroots party elections to start on April 27 with nine counties the first to elect officials.