Caroli Omondi questions political party funding, says ODM ordered to pay him Ksh690K

Suba South MP Caroli Omondi has raised concerns about the use of public funds to finance political parties in Kenya, suggesting that government support should only be granted during election periods instead of annually. After successfully challenging an attempt by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to expel him from the party, Omondi argued that political parties should not receive public financing during non-election years.

During an interview on November 6, 2026, he revealed that the ODM was ordered to pay him Ksh690,000 following the failed expulsion attempt, and he stated he would seek legal advice to enforce the payment. Omondi proposed that political parties should receive public financing only during election years to ensure a level playing field for candidates and promote fair competition.

He criticized the continuous allocation of public funds to political parties throughout the five-year electoral cycle, suggesting that such funding should be reserved for election campaigns. Comparing political parties to private clubs, Omondi argued that they should not automatically qualify for public funding outside of election periods.

He also expressed concerns over Kenya's political party laws, which he believed could undermine parliamentary independence by allowing parties to discipline or expel elected members. Omondi pointed out that in parliamentary systems like those in Australia and the United Kingdom, legislators can disagree with their parties or join other political formations without losing their parliamentary seats.

He suggested that Kenya's party discipline framework was being used to intimidate MPs, discouraging them from independently questioning party positions. Omondi had previously proposed amendments to the Political Parties Act to restrict public financing of political parties to election periods, aiming to redirect resources towards election financing instead of maintaining political parties throughout the electoral cycle.