NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 18 – The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) has ruled in favour of ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, finding that the party violated his right to a fair hearing in disciplinary proceedings initiated against him.
In its judgment, the Tribunal held that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) failed to adhere to the principles of procedural fairness while undertaking disciplinary action aimed at removing Sifuna from office.
The PPDT found that the process adopted by the party contravened the requirements of due process, rendering the disciplinary proceedings procedurally unfair.
However, the Tribunal clarified that its ruling does not prevent ODM from pursuing disciplinary action against the Secretary General in future.
According to the judgment, the party remains at liberty to initiate and conclude fresh disciplinary proceedings against Sifuna, provided the process strictly complies with the law, the ODM party constitution and the party’s internal regulations.
The Tribunal further vacated all interim orders that had been issued during the hearing of the dispute.
The decision means that although the disciplinary process previously undertaken against Sifuna has been invalidated for violating principles of fairness and due process, ODM retains the authority to revisit the matter through a lawful and procedurally compliant process.
