Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino and Narok Senator Ledama Olekina have continued their onslaught against the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, accusing the political outfit of shortchanging them in Parliament leadership slots.
Babu and Olekina, speaking during a joint press address on Friday after their Thursday night Twitter outbursts, claimed youthful legislators in ODM have been sidelined in the allocation of Parliament leadership positions despite their contributions and sacrifices during the campaign period.
According to the vocal Embakasi East MP, the Raila Odinga-led party is only interested in rewarding ‘senior citizens’ at the expense of the youth.
He alleged that he was initially fronted as the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chair, but the decision has since been rescinded by ODM’s top brass.
The PAC Chair slot, he says, has now been handed to the party National Chairman John Mbadi, who made his way back to the House after being nominated as he did not defend his seat at the August General Election.
“I was fronted to be the PAC Chairman by my fellow MPs, then the party agreed about this position. Then yesterday, I was called and told to leave this position to Mbadi. Mbadi is already a party Chairman for ODM, in addition to that he was Nominated, and again we want to add him the PAC Chairman,” said Babu.
“Give the youth what belongs to the youth, and give the elderly what belongs to the elderly. If we will not be rewarded as the youth in ODM, then we will reward ourselves.”
He further noted that the fidelity of the youth to the ODM party has long been taken for granted, adding that they will hence not take this lying down.
“We have been shortchanged by the ODM party. When we were campaigning we were with Raila Odinga, but when it comes to sharing of leadership others are rewarded. Loyalty must be rewarded…even in nominations in majority of the county assemblies, a lot of youth were left out,” he stated.
“We are loyal to the party but the party is now punishing us…The party must stop rewarding senior citizens at the expense of the youth.”
Ledama, on the other hand, urged the ODM leadership to reconsider its decisions on Parliament leadership, failure to which they will make a countrywide tour and consult the youth.
“We have decided that the time is now for us to speak to our party, and beseech our party, to be able to reconsider the decisions that they’re making now because those decisions will cost the party,” he stated.
“I want to be very cantankerous, and to be very candid, that if the party does not reconsider this, then we’ll be able to go around the country and talk to the youth and chart our future. From today some of us will start being disloyal.”
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