Former Nominated Senator and deputy Senate Minority Whip Beatrice Kwamboka has resigned as the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Nairobi county branch secretary.
In a letter addressed to the party's Executive Director, and dated November 1, the former lawmaker expressed her gratitude to Raila Odinga and the entire ODM fraternity for giving her an opportunity to be a member and leader within the party.
Kwamboka lost her bid to vie for Nairobi Woman Representative's position on the ODM ticket after the party handed the ticket to the incumbent Esther Passaris.
The move by ODM to give Passaris the party ticket was informed by the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya's zoning system that allowed parties under the coalition to dish out direct tickets instead of conducting party nominations.
Kwamboka was considered the favourite to bag the ODM ticket and felt hard-done by the party's decision to overlook her.
In her resignation letter, she indicated that she was quitting so as to give other upcoming leaders a chance to serve ODM and gain exposure in leadership.
“I write to relinquish the position of Secretary General – Nairobi City County" Kwamboka said adding that "I will forever remain grateful to H.E Rt. Hon. Raila Amollo Odinga, ODM and the entire party leadership for the nurturing and the exposure that I have experienced for being a party member.”
Kwamboka has been a key member of the ODM party within the Nairobi political scene since 2013 when she was first elected as the Mountain View Member of County Assembly on the party ticket, a position she held until the 2017 general election.
After the 2017 elections, Kwamboka was nominated as a senator by the party serving in the 2017-2022 where she rose to the position of deputy Minority whip in the Senate.
She was a close ally of the ODM party chief Raila Odinga and has been a great grassroots mobiliser with networks across Nairobi County.
Her exit from the party is a big blow to ODM in its ethnic balancing considering that she was the highest-ranking party member from the Kisii community in Nairobi.
The other high-ranking party member from the Kisii community in Nairobi was former Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati who successfully shifted his political base to Kisii where he was elected as the governor.
