The Orange Democratic Movement has emerged victorious in a critical legal battle after the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) dismissed an application by Senator Edwin Sifuna, clearing ODM to proceed with disciplinary proceedings against him. The ruling marks a significant turning point in the protracted dispute between the party and its own Secretary General, whose position has been under threat since early this year.
The tension between Sifuna and ODM’s leadership first broke into the open in February 2026, when the party’s National Executive Committee formally initiated removal proceedings against him. Moving swiftly to protect himself, Sifuna filed a case at the PPDT, and the Tribunal granted him temporary orders halting the disciplinary process while his application was considered. It was the beginning of what would become a drawn-out legal back-and-forth between the Senator and the party he serves.
The Tribunal handed down its first substantive ruling in March 2026, declining to shield Sifuna from the party machinery and instead directing both sides to first go through ODM’s own internal dispute resolution channels. The message was clear — before the PPDT could step in, the party’s internal mechanisms needed to be given a proper chance to work.
Sifuna was back before the Tribunal in April, this time pushing for orders that would shut down the disciplinary hearings altogether. The PPDT declined to go that far, but issued a compromise ruling — ODM could continue with the hearing process, though any decisions reached could not be implemented pending further review. That conditional shield is precisely what the latest ruling has now dismantled.
The most recent PPDT decision removes all restrictions that had been placed on ODM’s internal proceedings. The party is now free to conduct its disciplinary hearings and, crucially, to act on whatever findings emerge without being constrained by outstanding court orders. For ODM’s leadership, it represents a clean sweep.
ODM Executive Director Oduor Ong’wen welcomed the outcome, saying it vindicated the party’s stance throughout the dispute. “The Tribunal dismissed Senator Sifuna’s application, reaffirming the principle that internal party processes should be allowed to run their course,” Ong’wen said, signalling that the party intends to move ahead without delay.
Legal experts say the decision is a firm endorsement of the exhaustion doctrine — the legal principle requiring parties to fully utilise available internal remedies before turning to outside judicial bodies for relief. More broadly, the ruling reinforces the constitutional right of political parties in Kenya to govern their own affairs according to their founding documents and rules, without courts stepping in before those processes have had the opportunity to run their course.
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