ODM rebel Suleiman Dori thanks Raila for pardoning him for supporting DP Ruto

Msambweni MP Suleiman Dori has thanked ODM party’s decision to save him from expulsion for gross misconduct after he apologised.

Dori hailed the party’s National Governing Council (NGC) for sparing him the humiliation of being stripped off party membership and losing the Parliamentary seat.

He spoke at Dori Girls Secondary School in Gazi, Kwale, where he was joined by his constituents in paying special tribute to the Opposition chief Raila Odinga for his role in ensuring he was pardoned.

“My special thanks go to party leader Raila for his understanding, magnanimity, nationalistic and reconciliatory spirit,” he said, amid cheers from residents.

"To err is to human, but most important is the spirit of forgiveness because none of us is infallible."

Dori accepted the allegations against him including actively associating himself with the ruling Jubilee Party.

Also read: Aisha Jumwa officially expelled from ODM, Dori survives

However, his fellow ODM MP Aisha Jumwa was not lucky. The Malindi MP was on Friday expelled from the party over indiscipline and disloyalty.

Jumwa, like Dori, have openly declared their support for Deputy President William Ruto’s 2022 State House bid.

A defiant Jumwa declared on Friday that she is still the Malindi MP even after ODM expelled her from the party.

Speaking in Malindi shortly after ODM’s National Governing Council ratified her removal, Jumwa said she will serve her full five-year term as per the Constitution.

"I want to tell residents the Member of Parliament for Malindi for a five-year period under the Constitution is Aisha Jumwa," she said.

"I have come to assure you of that those saying there will be a by-election here are busybodies."

Dori said he will continue serving the electorate with devotion now that he is assured of his party membership.

The MP said the prolonged storm over his loyalty to the party had weighed heavily on him and he can now breath with a sigh of relieve after being forgiven.

“As you can see I have lost a lot of weight due to the stress I went through during that trying moments. But I am glad that is over now,” he told the crowd which broke into laughter.

Dori is not off the hook yet, as he must appear before a special NGC meeting in the next 60 days to explain himself.