Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi now says the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party Secretary General, Edwin Sifuna, demanded Ksh300 million to be part of the broad-based government.
Speaking in Moiben, Uasin Gishu County, on Friday, July 25, Sudi criticised Sifuna for allegedly attempting to water down President Willian Ruto's collaboration with former Prime Minister Raila.
He claimed that the Nairobi Senator is bitter due to his non-inclusion as part of the beneficiaries in the broad-based agreement that was formally endorsed in March this year.
While hitting out at the ODM Secretary General, Sudi termed Sifuna a 'political broker' for allegedly demanding an outrageous amount in exchange for supporting the government.
"I want to tell my brother Sifuna, the President and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga met and agreed to work together. Sifuna is bitter because he was not part of the panel that drafted the agreement," said Sudi.
"Dear Sifuna, there was no panel that sat down and drafted the agreement. It is Raila who sat down with the President and agreed to work together. What I know is that you asked for Ksh300 million," he added.
Sudi clarified that despite Sifuna's alleged outrageous, provocative request, the government did not heed his demand, with the lawmaker adding that Ruto's administration would not fall for such intimidatory demands.
According to the legislator, the government was only focused on improving the lives of Kenyan citizens through the provision of healthcare, education and other essential services.
"I want to tell Sifuna that the government can't give him such an amount of money without any viable reason, let him continue ranting," the MP reiterated.
During the rally, Sudi also exuded support for the broad-based government, stating that Odinga's willingness to work with the Head of State was primarily for the benefit of Kenyans.
Meanwhile, Sudi's remarks come days after the Nairobi Senator took a swipe at Ruto's administration, accusing it of failing to work as per the terms of the broad-based agreement.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, Sifuna cautioned that ODM's continued engagement with the Kenya Kwanza government could derail the party's political future.
“If we stick with this government until 2027 without preparing the party, we’ll lose the chance to explain to Kenyans what we were doing with Ruto all this time,” Sifuna cautioned.
Experts now claim that Sifuna's recent remarks could be a strategy by the former Prime Minister to keep in touch with the opposition while at the same time benefiting from the current regime.
