In the face of escalating internal division and fears of encroachment by President William Ruto’s UDA, ODM has convened a high-stakes three-day retreat in Mombasa to firm up its 2027 game plan.
The retreat, set to begin today and run through to Tuesday, has been billed as highly consequential, promising to determine the outfit’s pathway to the next polls.
It was initially planned to start from Friday, but was postponed to allow some party members to attend Saturday’s burial of Mzee Eliud Nyikal Okaka, father of Seme MP James Nyikal.
Four ODM Cabinet Secretaries, National Executive Committee (NEC) members, governors, MPs and senators, as well as majority and minority leaders of county assemblies, are set to attend the political engagement.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna address a Linda Mwananchi politcal rally at Mazembe Grounds in Nakuru City on April 19, 2026.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
Some ODM members associating with the Linda Mwananchi faction led by Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna have, however, said they will not attend the retreat.
Sunday Nation has established that the meeting was informed by the need to have party members openly air their views over the running of the outfit, following the death of its founder, the late Raila Odinga.
ODM is currently faced with sharp internal divisions, largely on whether to back President Ruto’s re-election, leading to the emergence of rival factions of Linda Ground led by party leader Oburu Oginga and Linda Mwananchi of Mr Sifuna.
Ratified ODM leaders Gladys Wanga, Simba Arati, Oburu Odinga and Abdulswamad Nassir during the party's Special Delegates Convention at the A.S.K Dome, Jamhuri Expo Centre in Nairobi.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
But even within the Linda Ground camp, on and off political tension on contested issues such as zoning have threatened further divisions. Officials and MPs described the retreat as a ‘bonding’ session to contain any further fallouts. The engagement further seeks to come up with strategies that can help the outfit rejuvenate and fire up its grassroots networks ahead of coalition talks with UDA.
The party is already scared of losing some of its traditional zones to UDA, informing its insistence on zoning as part of pre-election coalition agreement with the ruling party.
Regional conflicts have also emerged. Coast and Western regions that have, for years, remained ODM zones have raised concerns over their involvement in major party decisions.
Cooperative Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya recently accused the party leadership of taking the Western region for granted, while Coast leaders, led by Mining CS Hassan Joho and Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, have been holding regular meetings with politicians from the region, giving credence to reports that it could be scouting for options outside ODM.
“We have supported Raila Odinga with one heart, and that should not be taken for granted. We must now assess what the people of Western Kenya stand to gain from ODM. If that does not happen, then we will have no option but to say goodbye,” said Mr Oparanya last Saturday.
ODM National chairperson Gladys Wanga told Nation that at least 100 legislators (senators, women representatives, single constituency MPs) and 13 governors have confirmed attendance.
The Homa Bay County boss also confirmed that Cabinet Secretaries drawn from ODM have confirmed availability for the retreat.
From left: Cabinet Secretaries John Mbadi (National Treasury), Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives), Beatrice Askul (EAC), Hassan Joho (Mining) and Opiyo Wandayi (Energy).
Photo credit: Nation Media Group
The CSs are Mr Joho, Mr Oparanya, John Mbadi (Treasury), Opiyo Wandayi (Energy and Petroleum) and Beatrice Askul (East African Community (EAC) Affairs, the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).
“We are retreating to review the status of our party,” Governor Wanga said, adding that, “We will also discuss strategy for 2027.”
ODM Leader Oburu Oginga at Linda Ground in Siaya County.
Photo credit: Pool
Mr Wandayi confirmed receiving an invitation for the retreat, but said he will not attend as he will be in Tanzania on official duty. Mr Wandayi is among the top government officials who will accompany President Ruto to the neighbouring country.
"We were all invited (four ODM CSs) for the retreat. But I will be in Tanzania for an official duty."
National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohammed said the meeting will offer strategies on how to rejuvenate the party going into the next elections.
“We have a general agenda for the party, but mostly how we can rejuvenate the party as part of our preparations for 2027,” said Mr Mohammed.
Similar remarks were given by Nyando MP Jared Okello, who said that there was need for the MPs to bond and strategise for the next elections, which he said the party will go into as part of the broad-based arrangement.
“We are fully behind the broad-based arrangement even as we retreat to discuss ODM affairs,” said Mr Okello.
Saboti MP Caleb Amisi, a member of the Linda Mwananchi camp of ODM, claimed he had not been invited for the meeting.
He accused the party of removing him from all WhatsApp groups used to communicate party activities. “How do you attend something that you have not been invited to attend? In my view, these many meetings ODM keeps on calling are meant to push members into backing President Ruto,” said Mr Amisi.
Ratified ODM leaders Gladys Wanga, Simba Arati, Oburu Odinga and Abdulswamad Nassir during the party's Special Delegates Convention at the A.S.K Dome, Jamhuri Expo Centre in Nairobi.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, another Linda Mwananchi luminary, also said he will not attend.
Mr Osotsi told the Nation that they can only consider working as a team if Dr Oburu, Ms Wanga, Mr Mohammed, Mr Nassir and Kisii Governor Simba Arati resign from their party positions.
He also demanded reversal of all major decisions taken by the party in the last six months, including approval of coalition talks with UDA as well as NEC resolution to kick out Mr Sifuna as the party SG.
“They must also agree to convene an ordinary National Delegates Convention (NDC) with one agenda of electing national officials through a competitive process,” said Mr Osotsi.
He also called for an inquest into the death of Mr Odinga to clear the air over “many emerging theories” of what could have happened. Another condition is a written commitment by President Ruto to fully implement the 10-point agenda before coalition talks with ODM.
“Our people are disappointed by how ODM is run by its current leadership. They want the party to go back to its known ideals of fighting for justice, democracy, and fighting the ills in society, such as corruption.”
“Many Kenyans are also dissatisfied with this government because of the many promises it made but failed to implement. The feeling is that this government is not working for the people, but for a few individuals within the government,” said Mr Osotsi.
“I don't think that the retreat is going to resolve fundamental issues in the party. It is just one of those meetings that they have been doing to try and show that they have more MPs in that camp, but they have ended up not having any traction.”
“The fundamental problems in the party is all about leadership. The current leadership is clueless, a leadership that is selfish, a leadership that is excited with material gain,” said the former ODM co-deputy party leader.
He cited the Western region as one of the ODM traditional bastions that could shift away as a result of the current leadership.
“ODM has taken the people of Western for granted. You know the decision to remove Sifuna as the SG was not consultative. The region was not engaged in making the decision. Even my purported removal.”
The development, he said, has since seen ODM popularity dip in Kakamega, Busia and Vihiga counties.
“I don't think that dipping is reversible, because as ODM suffers in Western, the people who are positioning themselves to gain from ODM collapse in the region are the very UDA coalition partners.”
