BLOGS
Raila and ODM kicked out of Orange house
Orange house in Kilimani, (Courtesy)
NAIROBI—The Orange Democratic Movement Party will soon be homeless after Raila Odinga’s former aide and landlord, Caroli Omondi, declined to renew the lease of its expansive headquarters on Menelik Road in upmarket Kilimani area of Nairobi.
However, in a statement, ODM has denied reports that it has been kicked out of Orange House, insisting that it is leaving out of mutual understanding.
“We wish to confirm that the tenancy of our National Secretariat at the current premises known as Orange House will come to its end on December 31, 2018 and by mutual consent between the Landlord and tenant, we have agreed not to renew it,” read part of the statement.
The lone house compound was ideal for political meetings that sometimes ran into fist-fights and physical confrontations. Sometimes, it was just an attempted putsch to dethrone officials at the secretariat, such as when former Executive director Magerer Lang’at was violently ejected by party hardliners on October 30, 2014, from a meeting of party officials.
Mr Caroli Omondi, the owner, ran for the Suba South parliamentary seat last year and was the principal administrative secretary in Mr Odinga’s prime minister’s office between 2008 and 2013.
It is not yet clear where the National Secretariat of ODM party will move to after the year ends.
“The National Secretariat will thus relocate to a new address at end of the year and our members, supporters and the general public will be notified accordingly,” assured Ong’wen who is the party’s director,
Mr Omondi is now a government employee, having been appointed a board member of the National Oil Corporation of Kenya in postings done by President Uhuru Kenyatta in early June.
Major political parties with ample funding have recently taken up tenancy in upmarket areas like Kilimani, Lavington and Kileleshwa with the more financially endowed Jubilee Party boasting of perhaps the most prestigious and conspicuous offices.
