Many Kenyans assume that top political party officials earn hefty salaries due to their influential positions. However, Nairobi Senator and ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has revealed a surprising reality about his role within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Speaking candidly during an interview on a podcast hosted by Andrew Kibe, Sifuna disclosed that despite serving as one of the most visible and powerful figures in the party, he does not receive any salary from ODM while kenyand think he earns around ksh250,000 from that role .
The revelation left many listeners surprised, considering that the Secretary General is responsible for coordinating party activities, communicating official positions, and overseeing key administrative functions.
According to Sifuna, officials such as the Secretary General, National Chairman, and Party Leader are classified as political office holders rather than employees of the party. As a result, they are not entitled to salaries or other forms of remuneration from party funds.
Sifuna explained that the day-to-day operations of ODM are managed by the party’s secretariat, which is headed by an Executive Director appointed by the party’s National Executive Committee. The secretariat comprises technical and professional staff whose responsibilities include administration, finance, communications, membership recruitment, and youth affairs.
These employees are the ones legally permitted to earn salaries from the party.
“The law states that an official of the party is not supposed to be paid a salary. It is only the technical staff that receive salaries. At Chungwa House, we have the Executive Director, Communications Director, Finance Director and other technical staff. Those are the people who are paid. But the Secretary General and Chairman are not paid,” Sifuna stated.
The senator pointed to Kenya’s Political Parties Act, which strictly regulates how political parties utilize funds received from the Political Parties Fund. The law prohibits parties from using public funds to directly or indirectly pay salaries, allowances, rewards, or benefits to elected party officials and supporters.
Under the legislation, only members of staff employed by the party secretariat are eligible to receive remuneration.
This means that despite occupying a senior leadership position and regularly representing ODM in national political discussions, Sifuna performs his duties without receiving a paycheck from the party.
His remarks have sparked debate among Kenyans, with some expressing surprise that senior party officials serve without salaries, while others argued that elected leaders often have other sources of income, including salaries from public offices they hold.
The revelation offers a rare glimpse into the internal operations of political parties and highlights the distinction between elected party leaders and professional staff who run the organizations behind the scenes.
For many Kenyans, Sifuna’s disclosure has challenged the common perception that every top political position automatically comes with a lucrative salary package.
