ODM wants the Registrar of Political Parties compelled to release Sh5.1 billion it says is due to it ahead of the general elections.
In a suit filed under a certificate of urgency at the High Court in Milimani yesterday, ODM says the failure by the registrar to release the money to it under the Political Parties Fund has crippled its ability to prepare for the 2017 elections. It says withholding the money is illegal.
The party accused the registrar of acting highhandedly and unprocedurally by failing to consult, inform and give reasons for not disbursing all the funds expected to be distributed to political parties.
ODM’s capacity to prepare for and participate effectively in campaigns has been hindered by the lack of funding, lawyers Julie Soweto and James Orengo said.
They said the registrar has released only 0.03 per cent of the money to be distributed to parties.
“A decision, whether jointly or severally, to disburse funds less than what the law stipulates is illegal and unconstitutional,” ODM says.
ODM has also listed the Jubilee Party, TNA and URP as interested parties in the suit.
The party says there is no rationale or reasonable justification for the registrar to distribute only 0.03 per cent or an amount less than the total stipulated by law.
“The failure or refusal to disburse all the funds due to the political party undermines democracy, the rule of law, and the objectives for which the fund was established,” ODM says.
