Siaya Governor James Orengo on Sunday issued a fierce defence of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, declaring that any attempt to remove the Nairobi Senator from his position would spell doom for Kenya’s largest opposition party.
Speaking during a charged church service in Kawangware, Dagoretti North, Orengo told hundreds of congregants and party supporters that Sifuna’s leadership and loyalty were indispensable to ODM’s survival.
“I want to assure you that if anyone dares to remove Sifuna from the ODM secretary general position, that will be the end of ODM,” Orengo said, drawing loud applause from the crowd.
The governor accused unnamed factions within the party of undermining its unity for personal gain and betraying the founding principles established by party leader Raila Odinga. He praised Sifuna as a dedicated and effective leader who has remained steadfast amid growing internal tensions.
Orengo was joined at the event by a group of vocal ODM figures often seen as critical of the party’s cooperation with President William Ruto’s government, including Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, and Kanduyi MP John Makali. The gathering came on the same day another faction, led by Raila’s elder brother Oburu Oginga, held a separate meeting in Kisii County.
The Kawangware event highlighted deepening divisions within ODM, which have simmered since several senior members — including Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, Kisii Governor Simba Arati, and former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya — accepted cabinet positions in Ruto’s broad-based government.
Earlier this month, Migori Senator Eddy Oketch petitioned the party to expel Sifuna for alleged defiance, but the motion was withdrawn following interventions from senior leaders, including Oburu Oginga.
Orengo also used the platform to insist that ODM must field its own presidential candidate in the 2027 General Election. He warned that entering pre-election coalition talks with the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) without a flagship candidate would contradict Raila Odinga’s wishes and compromise the party’s ideological foundation.
“ODM is the biggest party in the Republic of Kenya. Every party wants to work with ODM,” Orengo said. “We cannot enter negotiations where another party presents a presidential candidate while ODM has none.”
He urged the party to prioritize fulfilling Raila’s 10-point national reform agenda by March 7, 2026, rather than rushing into alliances.
Several leaders at the event called for an early National Delegates Congress (NDC) to resolve the disputes and clarify the party’s direction. Speaking separately, Osotsi dismissed suggestions that Sifuna’s outspoken criticism of government cooperation amounted to defiance, describing it as adherence to instructions from Raila Odinga himself.
As ODM navigates these turbulent waters, Sunday’s duelling gatherings underscored a party at a crossroads — torn between pragmatic cooperation with the government and its traditional opposition roots. With Raila Odinga focused on his African Union Commission chairmanship bid, the battle for the soul of Kenya’s orange movement appears far from over.
