This archive report was first published on 18 November 2019.
On November 17, 2019, ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna tweeted that Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala had outgrown the pond and it was time for him to move on.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Sifuna has now promised Malala a direct ticket if ANC expels him. Speaking during a fundraiser at Cheptulu Salvation Army in Vihiga County, Sifuna said that ODM had already prepared a direct ticket for Malala.
Malala was suspended by ANC on November 8, 2019, for supporting ODM candidate Bernard Imran Okoth in the Kibra by-election. Malala had expressed his support for Okoth after he lost his brother, Ken Okoth, in July.
Malala has accused ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi of targeting him with a similar strategy as to what Osotsi went through and eventually emerged victorious. He has also alleged that the ANC-sponsored candidate in Kibra was a side project of William Ruto after Mariga.
Malala has expressed his willingness to receive the ticket and has said he is not afraid of a by-election. He has also been advised by nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi to defy any summons by ANC's disciplinary committee.
It remains to be seen whether ANC will expel Malala and whether ODM will follow through on its promise to give him a direct ticket.
