Azimio endorses Junet, Millie Odhiambo as new minority leaders

The Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance has endorsed the proposals to appoint Suna East MP Junet Mohamed and Suba North MP Millicent Odhiambo as the new Minority Leader and Whip in the National Assembly respectively.

According to Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, the development followed a resolution in an Azimio Parliamentary Group meeting held on Tuesday.

“The Azimio PG meeting has unanimously endorsed the proposals from the ODM party to appoint Hon Junet Mohamed and Hon Millie Odhiambo as the new Minority Leader and Whip in the National Assembly respectively. On behalf of ODM, I thank all the Azimio constituent parties for their support and wish the two leaders well in their new positions,” he said.

The appointment of Junet Mohamed comes after Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi vacated the Minority Leader position following his nomination by President William Ruto as Energy Cabinet Secretary.

Junet Mohamed, who previously served as Minority Whip, will now act as the party's spokesperson on national issues in Parliament.

Millicent Odhiambo, who has been serving in Parliament since 2007, initially as a nominated MP and then as the representative for Suba North, will replace Junet as the Minority Whip.

In addition to these changes, Saboti MP Caleb Amisi will assume the role of chair of the Public Accounts Committee, a position left vacant by the appointment of Treasury Cabinet Secretary nominee John Mbadi. Funyula MP Wilberforce Oundo will take on the role of chair of the Public Investments Committee.

The appointments are part of the resolutions made by ODM’s Central Management Committee, chaired by party leader Raila Odinga.

“The party has officially released its officials who were recently tapped by President William Ruto for national duty as Cabinet Secretaries. I can confirm that I have received the resignations of John Mbadi as national chairperson, Opiyo Wandayi as secretary for political affairs, Wycliffe Oparanya and Hassan Joho as deputy party leaders and Beatrice Askul Moe as member of the party elections committee,” read a statement by Sifuna.

Sifuna emphasised that these roles were accepted individually, and clarified that the ODM party had not entered into a coalition with the government.

Raila, however, revealed that President Ruto reached out for assistance, leading him to provide top talent to the government.

“They had failed, dissolved the Cabinet and came to us to give the people. They came begging please give us your people who know how to work,” Raila said on Monday during a visit to traders at Toi market in Nairobi.