Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino has revealed that he was absent from the joint Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party and United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party Joint Parliamentary group meeting because he was not consulted.
President William Ruto, with ODM leader Raila Odinga, convened the meeting on Monday, August 18, and Babu Owino was conspicuously missing despite being a staunch ODM member.
His absence created suspicions about his current position in the party. However, while addressing the matter on Thursday, August 21, Babu assured that he was still in the party and respected the party leader.
The second-term MP said that he expected to be consulted and for his opinions to be taken into consideration before important decisions affecting his constituents were made.
Babu further alleged that he felt sidelined during the drafting of the NADCO report and the subsequent agreement on a broad-based government.
‘’I respect Raila Odinga, he is my party leader, but when the NADCO report was being drafted, when there was an agreement between ODM and UDA on the BBG, I was not consulted,’’ Babu Owino said.
‘’As a Member of Parliament, I ought to have been consulted, because I represent the views of my constituents, but I was not. Therefore when a meeting is called, if they didn't consult me, why do they want to consult me any further,’’ Owino continued.
Speaking on the internal status of the ODM party, which has lately witnessed divergent views from members within, Babu maintained that ODM remained a democratic party, where all members have rights to express their opinions.
‘’Raila has mentioned that within ODM, people have democratic rights to express their views, that’s what ODM stands for. He even said this within the public domain, we cannot all think alike, Babu has the democratic right to stand against any wrongdoing in this country, not to side with the government if it is oppressive, to oversight the government,’’ Babu continued.
Partisan Divisions
During the joint PG meeting, the ruling party UDA and ODM discussed many issues and agreed to put aside partisan divisions and work together to advance the national interest above partisan political expediency.
Babu Owino and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna have been among the dissenting voices within ODM who have been critical of the broad-based government and the Kenya Kwanza administration.
The MP maintained that despite the agreement between the government and the opposition, he will stand on his parliamentary mandate as stated in the constitution and oversight the government.
‘’Parliament should be independent and should perform its oversight role and should legislate for Kenyans and not for the executive,’’ Babu said.
