A meeting by top Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) officials on Friday turned stormy over growing ideological differences and support for President William Ruto .
The party’s Central Management Committee meeting chaired by acting party leader Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o laid bare the boiling tensions after a section of the officials took on their colleagues – who have been accused of turning into court poets in the zeal to support President Ruto.
A senior official who attended the meeting described the session as an ‘open fire’ for some influential individuals in the party. The official — who spoke in confidence as he is not authorised to comment publicly about the proceedings of such closed-door meetings — also described Prof Nyong’o as “firm”, saying the Kisumu Governor has managed to resist manipulation from some of the members, who have publicly suggested plans of working with Dr Ruto in the 2027 elections.
During the meeting, Prof Nyong’o warned the officials against making statements that suggest plans by ODM to back Dr Ruto’s re-election.
“After chairing the ODM Central Committee meeting, I want to reassure our members and the public that ODM will continue to be a force for good in the year ahead. We stand firm as the foremost defender of democracy, championing freedom, full participation, transparency, good governance, justice, fairness, and equity,” Prof Nyong’o posted on social media.
“We urge all our members to remember that ODM is a distinct political force, committed to winning power through democratic means. In this pursuit, let us be mindful of our words and actions, and avoid supporting our competitors in ways that may undermine the party's unity and goals,” he went.
The meeting chaired by the interim party leader was attended by Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, National Chairperson Gladys Wanga, co-deputy party leaders Godfrey Osotsi and Abdulswamad Nassir.
Others in the meeting were National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohammed, Treasurer Timothy Bosire, ODM executive director Oduor Ong’wen, Kisumu West MP Rosa Buyu among other officials.
Ms Wanga and Mr Mohammed are some of the officials said to have come under the spotlight during the meeting. Nation.Africa reached out to the two officials but they did not immediately respond to our enquiries.
Some ODM officials have been accused of being overzealous in expressing their support for the government while others are supposedly angling for the running mate position in Dr Ruto’s re-election bid.
A statement issued by Mr Sifuna after the meeting assured its members across the country that the party was strengthening its structures in readiness for the next elections.
“We must continue to strengthen ourselves in preparation for the battles ahead. Following the largely successful grassroots elections in November at polling units in all the 47 Counties the Party received 41 Appeals,” said Mr Sifuna.
Mr Osotsi told Nation Africa that officials raised concerns about the conflicting public utterances by some officials. He, however, described the meeting as cordial and in a friendly environment. He dismissed claims that it singled out some officials.
“It was a very friendly meeting. The party is strong enough to accommodate divergent views. No one was put on the defence. The matter of conflicting utterances was discussed generally without singling out members who have been making statements which are not party position,” said Mr Osotsi.
“We all agreed that we are not going to put the party and our members in an awkward position by having conflicting positions by the officials,” said the Vihiga Senator.
The Raila Odinga-led party’s loose arrangement with Dr Ruto that saw some of the outfit’s top officials co-opted in the so-called broad-based Cabinet has remained divisive and threatens to trigger a split ahead of the next poll.
Mr Odinga is seeking to be the African Union Commission (AUC) chairman last year announced he would scale down his involvement in local politics, leading to the handing over of the party leadership to Mr Nyong’o on an interim basis.
Political analysts project that a win by Mr Odinga for the African Union job in the February election is likely to escalate the division. Mr Odinga has for more than 10 years remained the unifying factor in the party.
The party has since been caught between two political camps of individuals who have turned into court poets and another critical of the alleged excesses by President Ruto’s administration.
Mr Sifuna has been leading top ODM officials critical of the Kenya Kwanza administration while Prof Nyong’o and Siaya Senator James Orengo have been blowing hot and cold.
“I can speak authoritatively that there is no agreement between ODM and UDA about 2027. If you are unpopular, it does not matter how many leaders you bring around you. We will lose the election with Ruto even if we supported him as ODM,” said Mr Sifuna when he appeared on Citizen TV.
He added: “Looking at the political dynamics in the country right now, it would be foolish for ODM not to field a presidential candidate in 2027. ODM just needs to retain all its constituencies because Ruto has lost almost a half of its constituencies in Mt Kenya. How do you help someone when you can help yourself?”
However, on the same television show, Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda suggested a possibility of Dr Ruto picking his running mate from ODM.
"ODM will support President Ruto for a second term. The coalition agreement may include the possibility of having a deputy president from ODM,” said Prof Ojienda.
President Ruto in July co-opted five ODM officials into his Cabinet, turning some of his erstwhile fierce critics to his top cheerleaders. Some of the tapped ODM politicians have publicly declared their intention to back Dr Ruto’s re-election.
The President appointed Mr Opiyo Wandayi (Energy and Petroleum), Mr John Mbadi (National Treasury and Economic Planning), Mr Hassan Joho (Mining and Blue Economy) and Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives and MSMEs) and Beatrice Askul (EAC and Asal).
Mr Mohammed and Mr Joho are some of the ODM political figures, who have become fierce defenders of the regime, making a U-turn over their previously held positions against the administration.
Recently, Mr Mohammed blamed parents for not stopping their children from “abusing leaders”. He was accused of supporting the abduction of young Kenyans as a way of punishing government critics on social media.
“You allow your child to put someone in a coffin, and when action is taken, you cry. Why didn’t you talk to them in the first place and ask them to stop putting people in coffins? If there are people saying they have been kidnapped, let them go to court according to the law. But this behaviour of abusing others through the internet is a sad state,” said Mr Mohammed on December 27.
This contradicted the official position by the party issued by Prof Nyong’o that condemned the rising spate of abductions of individuals perceived as critics of Kenya Kwanza administration.
US-based University lecturer and political analyst, Prof David Monda, notes that the power struggle in ODM is between idealists and pragmatists.
He says that individuals like Mr Sifuna are idealists, who are uncomfortable with the excesses of the Kenya Kwanza administration and ODM abandoning its role as loyal opposition in checking the government.
On the other hand, he describes the likes of Mr Mohammed as pragmatists who are ready to work with the Kenya Kwanza regime.
“I think this tension will split the party in the run up to the 2027 elections. There are numerous idealistic voices in ODM that are very unhappy with the abuse of power by Kenya Kwanza and the amorphous role of ODM in the administration. More in line with the public mood,” said Prof Monda.
He adds, “But there are also pragmatists that want to use the Raila/Ruto bromance as a means to improve their political stakes in the ruthless power politics that is contemporary Kenya.”
