One person was injured on Sunday after a group of goons attempted to storm St Stephen's Cathedral in Kisumu, where Linda Mwananchi leaders led by Siaya Governor James Orengo and Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna were attending a church service.
The group blocked the church compound, preventing the two opposition leaders from leaving and forcing police officers to lob teargas to disperse the crowd.
The chaos erupted moments after Governor Orengo had addressed the congregation, with the group attempting to force its way into the church premises.
Security officers hurried Mr Orengo and Mr Sifuna out through an emergency exit, while journalists and worshippers also fled through the same route.
By the time of publication, neither leader had issued a statement on the incident.
Making his first public appearance since his removal as the Orange Democratic Movement Secretary General, the Nairobi Senator signalled that he was not retreating from frontline politics.
He described his removal as temporary and expressed confidence that he would eventually reclaim the position through the support of both God and the people.
"I want to also thank you for standing by me all this time when I have been the Secretary General of ODM party. Bishop asked, what do you do when termites eat a building pillar? But he said that God restores," he said.
Mr Sifuna likened his removal to children being dispossessed of their inheritance after the death of a father.
He said although people had taken away his position, they could not take away the wisdom and values he inherited from ODM leader Raila Odinga.
"Bishop, even me, there are things that I was given by my father, Raila Odinga. It is normal, you know, when a father dies in a homestead, people come and snatch the children's belongings. There are things that my father gave me. He gave me wisdom. But people have decided that they will take everything," he added.
Maintaining that his political journey was far from over, Mr Sifuna said he remained convinced that what had been taken from him would be restored.
"And I am ready. Because Bishop said, what will God do? He will restore. Everything that has been taken, that I was given by my father, and I was given by the people, the people will return it to me," he said.
Mr Sifuna lost his bid to retain the ODM Secretary-General post after the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties approved changes to the party's leadership and updated its official records.
In a letter dated July 9, 2026, Registrar of Political Parties John Cox Lorionokou said his office had reviewed the documents submitted by ODM and found that the party had followed both the Political Parties Act and its constitution in removing Mr Sifuna.
"Upon review of the documents submitted by the party and the lack of response from Hon Edwin Watenya Sifuna, we note that the removal of the party Secretary General was in line with the Political Parties Act Cap. 7D and the ODM party constitution," the Registrar wrote in a letter addressed to the party's Deputy Party Leader, National Chairperson and Executive Director.
Mr Sifuna had become the leading voice of resistance within ODM after repeatedly criticising the party's cooperation agreement with President William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza administration.
He consistently argued that ODM should remain a fully-fledged opposition party despite the Memorandum of Understanding signed with UDA.
Governor Orengo used the church service to defend Mr Sifuna, accusing unnamed individuals of attempting to isolate leaders who continued to champion the party's original ideals.
He argued that those speaking out against the current political direction were being pushed to the sidelines.
"Some people are trying to isolate us so that we are not part of the debate. I would like to say to people what they don't want to hear. I don't like saying what you want to hear," Mr Orengo said.
The Siaya governor claimed President Ruto had effectively taken control of ODM's political agenda, leaving supporters questioning the party's identity in several regions.
He described Mr Sifuna as one of ODM's strongest performers outside party leader Raila Odinga and Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o.
"President Ruto has seized our party. He has captured our fight. It is not the same fight. If you go to Western today, people are raising questions about ODM. The best-performing leader in ODM, outside Raila and outside Anyang' Nyong'o, has been this young man called Edwin Sifuna," he said.
Mr Orengo further revealed that Mr Sifuna had attempted to resolve differences within the party by engaging senior leaders and committing himself to working within ODM's constitution. However, he said those efforts were frustrated soon afterwards.
"I really pleaded with our people because Edwin Sifuna had agreed. He went to Oburu and said, 'I'm ready to work with you, but on the basis of the constitution of the party, the ten-point agenda and the other instruments of the party.' In a short while, they started giving a lot of problems to Edwin Sifuna," he added.
The governor also criticised the decision to replace Mr Sifuna as Secretary-General, saying the move had weakened the party.
He nevertheless encouraged the Nairobi senator to remain firm, assuring him that many supporters still stood with him.
"Even the replacement, it's not because she's a lady, but the replacement for Sifuna... I think it's a disaster. Sifuna, I want you to be strong. We are behind you. The people around this community are behind you. We are together as a movement," he added.
Mr Orengo also called for unity among ODM supporters in Nyanza, Western and the Coast, insisting that the party's current problems were the work of individuals rather than its broader membership.
"If you ever believed in the things that Raila used to believe in, we must all remain united. We will not be divided. These are the people of Nyanza, the people of Western and the people of the Coast. Even if they try to divide us, I pray that we will stay together," he said
He added: "Don't lie to people that because of what we have done we have a problem. It is just individuals who are bringing problems to the party. But as a community, we know that you have always stood for justice. You have always stood for what is right, and we believe that we can continue to work together."
