Kenya's Orange Democratic Movement has removed Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna from his position as the party's Secretary General. It is the second time that the ODM has kicked Sifuna out of the post, underlining how deep the rift between the senator and the party leadership has become.
The decision was taken by the party's National Executive Committee, which unanimously resolved to adopt a report by the Internal Dispute Resolution Committee. That report had recommended Sifuna's removal, and the National Executive Committee endorsed the recommendation, formally ending his tenure as Secretary General.
According to the party, the Internal Dispute Resolution Committee arrived at its recommendation after Sifuna allegedly failed to respond to allegations of gross misconduct that had been levelled against him. The committee then advised that he be removed from office, a step the leadership has now acted on.
The timing is significant. Sifuna's removal comes just four days after the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal directed the ODM to proceed with disciplinary action against him. The party then moved through what it described as a fresh process before announcing the outcome.
The latest move is the culmination of a dispute that has dragged on for months. The orange party has for some time been embroiled in a public fight with its Secretary General, with the disagreement spilling into committees, the tribunal and repeated rounds of internal wrangling.
With the National Executive Committee having endorsed the removal of a sitting senator from one of the party's most senior positions, attention now turns to how Sifuna and his allies respond, and whether the matter returns once more to the tribunal that has already weighed in on the process.