Unknown to many Kenyans, the Orange Democratic Movement Party is not just the wealthiest party in Kenya, but also the most professionally run.
Did you know that the ODM Party pays its staff the highest salaries of any political party in Kenya? Did you know when you work for ODM as a party staff you and your family is entitled to a medical cover, paid leave days and access to staff loan advances? Aren’t these the modern human resource practices of some of the top corporate firms in Kenya and across the world?
Ignore the rumours about it’s perennially bogus party nominations. That’s always the work of Party aspirants who muddle the electoral process whenever one is about to lose.
Ignore the rumours about failure to pay party agents during elections. Those are always manufactured by the party’s opponents. The ODM Party takes its financial responsibilities seriously.
The ODM Party has two sets of leadership organs. The political leadership led by Party Leader Raila Odinga and his two Deputies – Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho and Kakamega’s Wycliffe Oparanya. Also in this set is Party Chairman John Mbadi, Party Director of Elections Junet Mohammed and ten other individuals, mostly elected politicians. The exception is Party Secretary General, advocate Edwin Sifuna.
The other wing of ODM is the Party Secretariat based at the party’s ubiquitous head office, Orange House. The Seniormost official here is the Executive Director. The current executive director is Oduor Ong’wen. Other directors are Wafula Buke (political strategy), Rosemary Kariuki (Gender and Membership), Joshua Kawino (Finance and Human Resource) and Philip Etale (Media and Public Communications). It is the party secretariat that organizes the day-to-day running of the party. Unlike most political parties in Kenya, the ODM Party remains active throughout an election cycle.
Since 2012, the National Treasury has failed to remit funds to the ODM Party as required by the constitution through the political parties funding act. This money has accrued to the tune of Ksh4.6 billion.
Through a protracted court battle, the party was recently awarded its share that Treasury has often avoided paying.
It is easy to understand why Treasury couldn’t fund ODM. Treasury since 2012 has been under governments ODM seeks to wrestle power from. And the ODM Party when well resourced is a political machine impossible to defeat in Kenya.
Below is how ODM intends to use the jackpot:
1. Ksh 1.3 billion to rescue Wiper and Ford Kenya, two sister parties that have stood with ODM since 2013 and are now suffering from financial syphilis.
2. Ksh 2 billion general administration costs
3. Ksh 100 million to purchase own party building and finally vacate the rented Orange House compound off Menelik Road.
4. Ksh 100 million for training party cadres at the ODM School of Government (OSG) based in Mombasa County.
5. Ksh 50 million for the graduate internship programme at Orange House.
6. Ksh 50 million to expand party tea farms in Nyamira and Kisii Counties.
7. Ksh 10 million for the party newspaper and the ODM “dark arts” Army, the party online battalion that defeated Cambridge Analytica.
8. Ksh 100 million for party membership drive. The party now looks at “20 million Strong” ahead of 2022 polls.
9. Ksh 100 million for the party leader’s international engagements.
10. Ksh 100 million compensation for soldiers lost in battles since 2005.
11. Ksh 50 million for the party’s legal artillery ( Future court battles akin to the one that nullified Uhuru’s election).
12. Ksh 10 for the party’s fish factory in Kisumu.
Long live ODM
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