ODM Rebels Ousted from Key National Assembly Committees in Major House Shake-Up

By : Mweru Mbugua 

A major political purge rocked the National Assembly on Tuesday after several Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) lawmakers opposed to the broad-based government were removed from influential parliamentary committees and reassigned to less powerful positions

Among those affected is Suba South MP Caroli Omondi, who was ejected from the powerful Constitution Implementation and Oversight Committee (CIOC), where he served as chairperson. His position was taken over by Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba, a recent supporter of the broad-based political arrangement

Omondi, recently declared Secretary General of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition, is among a faction of ODM legislators resisting the party’s cooperation with the Kenya Kwanza administration

Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga was also caught in the reshuffle. She was removed from the Agriculture Committee and reassigned to the Committee on Members’ Services and Facilities, considered less influential

Odinga, sister to former ODM party leader Raila Odinga, has been an outspoken critic of the broad-based government and a vocal supporter of embattled ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna

Kitutu Chache South MP Antony Kibagendi was removed from the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education and replaced by Kasipul MP Boyd Were

National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohammed defended the changes, issuing a stern warning to members defying the party line

“I am serving a warning. Anyone who will not adhere to the party position will relinquish their committee positions to lesser ones,” he said

Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah also weighed in, dismissing claims that the House leadership was targeting specific individuals.

The reshuffle also affected allies of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara was among those moved to the Members’ Services and Facilities Committee

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However, it was a reversal of fortune for lawmakers who recently returned to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). Wamuchomba was reinstated to the Constitution Implementation and Oversight Committee, while Marakwet MP Timothy Kipchumba was reassigned to the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee

Juja MP George Koimburi, who recently distanced himself from Gachagua’s camp, also secured two influential committee slots

Sources within Parliament indicate that further committee reshuffles could extend to the Senate in the coming days, signaling continued political realignments within both the opposition and ruling coalitions

The changes mark a decisive move by party leaderships to consolidate loyalty and tighten control over parliamentary operations amid shifting political alliances