Philip Etale: Sifuna should have appeared before tribunal to present his case
By Emmanuel Rono, June 24, 2026The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Communications Director Philip Etale has argued that Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna would have been better served by appearing before the party tribunal to defend himself rather than boycotting the proceedings.
Speaking during an interview on a local station on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, Etale said the senator was invited to appear before the disciplinary committee but chose to send his lawyer instead.
“The Senator was invited to appear before the committee, but he failed to appear, and instead he sent his counsel to go and represent him with only one word that ‘my client will not appear’,” Etale said.
Sifuna’s decisions before appearing before the committee
According to Etale, Sifuna’s lawyer informed the committee that the senator was uncomfortable with some members of the tribunal, prompting his decision not to attend.
“Reason being he was uncomfortable with some members of the committee, but you don’t choose whom to appear before,” he said.
Etale maintained that the senator should have used the opportunity to present his case before the tribunal.
“If a committee has been formed, a tribunal has been formed to probe a particular matter, you just appear. Just say whatever you think is not right, argue a case, it will be listened to, and you will be given a fair hearing,” he stated.
PPDT overturns ODM decision
The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) ruled that the Orange Democratic Party (ODM) did not accord Senator Edwin Sifuna a fair hearing before removing him from the position of the party’s secretary-general (SG).
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, June 18, 2026, the PPDT stated that it had found that the ODM National Executive Committee (NEC) did not offer Sifuna a chance to respond to any allegations that were raised against him.
According to the tribunal, led by chairperson Gad Gathu, the removal and conduct of Sifuna were not among the agendas of the meeting that led to his removal by the parties’ NEC.
Further, the PPDT has also stated that ODM has not adduced any evidence that Sifuna was informed of any change in the agenda in the discussion of his conduct to enable him to appear accordingly.
“The tentative agenda did not include any discussion of the complainant’s (Sifuna) conduct,” PPDT ruled.
“We therefore find that the complainant (Sifuna) was not accorded a fair hearing prior to the resolution to remove him from office,” the tribunal ruled.
However, ODM resolved to remove Sifuna from SG position on Monday, June 21, 2026, wishing him all the best in his endeavours, but in an interesting turn of events, the Nairobi senator vowed to contest the decision.