Splinter camps continue to emerge within former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s ODM party over its association with President William Ruto’s, with the top leadership pulling in opposite directions.
Elected leaders within the party have been reading from different political scripts in public, deepening the widening rift in the outfit.
With the leaders caught between a rock and a hard place ahead of the 2027 elections, the Nation has learnt that at least four factions have emerged within the party, each speaking a different political language.
The party is grappling with retaining its identity as a people-centred party after aligning itself with a regime widely criticised for police brutality, abductions, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
The first camp is made up mostly of young elected leaders determined to maintain the party’s philosophy and ideology. This group includes the party’s secretary-general, Edwin Sifuna, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, who is also a deputy party leader, Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ and Siaya Governor James Orengo.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna at Bunge Tower Nairobi on March 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
These leaders have proven to be a thorn in the side of the broad-based government, calling it out for its excesses and keeping tabs on the 10-point agenda that birthed ODM’s association with the kenya Kwanza regime.
Mr Sifuna has been at the forefront of holding the broad-based government to account, insisting that ODM is not part of the government and will not support President William Ruto’s 2027 re-election bid. He has publicly stated that even if ODM supports Dr Ruto, he will still lose the 2027 General Election.
He maintains that ODM will only enter into alliances with like-minded, pro-people political parties.
“As a party, we do not support either the internal or external affairs of how this country is being run. William Ruto will lose that election even with Raila’s support,” Mr Sifuna said during an interview on Citizen TV. “You are not going to force us into an alliance with incompetent people. It has been demonstrated that the Kenya Kwanza government is the most incompetent since independence.”
Siaya County Governor James Orengo.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Mr Osotsi has said that there is a need for the party to maintain its philosophy and identity as the defender of the people, rather than appearing to have gone to bed with the government.
“ODM must remain a strong, distinct party, founded on principles of democracy and committed to reminding the government of its promises to the people,” said Mr Osotsi.
Seen as the heartbeat of the party, insiders say this group is viewed as the future of ODM and where Mr Odinga’s heart lies as they have remained loyal to the party’s ideology and could become a serious threat if sidelined.
Their fierce criticism of the Kenya Kwanza administration has put them at odds with a second group of ODM leaders who have declared unwavering support for President Ruto.
This group includes Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, Homa Bay Governor and ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga, Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, Alego Usonga MP Sam Atandi and Makadara MP George Aladwa.
It also includes former party leaders like ex-chairperson John Mbadi (now National Treasury Cabinet secretary), former deputy leaders Hassan Joho (Mining) and Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives), and Opiyo Wandayi (Energy), who served as Minority Leader in the National Assembly.
This camp has been vocal in its support of the broad-based government, sometimes more so than Kenya Kwanza MPs themselves, causing discomfort among many ODM members.
In February, Mr Aladwa threatened to push for the ouster of Mr Sifuna for opposing efforts to have ODM back President Ruto’s 2027 re-election. He sensationally claimed the secretary-general was being used by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to sabotage any political deal between UDA and ODM.
Mr Aladwa further claimed that Mr Sifuna’s criticism of the broad-based government was akin to challenging Mr Odinga’s authority, warning that if he continued to fight the political truce, party members would have no option but to remove him from office.
However, in May, Mr Odinga came to Mr Sifuna’s defence, affirming that he is the official voice of the party.
Speaking during the funeral of Kasipul MP Ong’ondo Were in Oyugis, Homa Bay County, the former premier said ODM must remain steadfast, acknowledging that internal disagreements are normal in any political party.
“Ultimately, the official position must be articulated by the party and the spokesperson of the party is the secretary-general Mr Sifuna. He speaks on behalf of the party,” Mr Odinga said.
ODM chairperson, Gladys Wanga, speaks at Bukiri Primary School, Funyula, Busia County on February 28, 2025 during the party's 20th anniversary celebrations.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation Media Group
A third camp is made up of party moderates including governors Abdulswamad Nassir (Mombasa), Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu) and Simba Arati (Kisii), and several legislators from the Luo-Nyanza and Western regions. This group has been non-committal in its support for the new political arrangement.
The fourth camp comprises leaders from the Gusii region who have been drawn to former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i as a potential 2027 presidential candidate. They include Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka, Kitutu Chache South MP Antony Kibagendi, and Saboti MP Caleb Amisi who is gravitating towards Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya.
This group is both anti-government and anti-Raila and has openly contradicted the party on several occasions. Those in this group have threatened to break ranks with the party, accusing it of discrimination, broken promises and treating their elected leaders as second-class members.
“We have genuinely been very patient and respectful despite extended periods of discrimination. Despite our unwavering loyalty to the party, we have been relegated to minor roles while others enjoy undue privileges,” said Mr Kibagendi.
However, pundits argue that the apparent confusion in ODM may actually benefit Mr Odinga by offering insight into the true nature of his party members. Through this political turbulence, Mr Odinga now knows who are pretenders, fence-sitters and those willing to go to war with him.
United States-based university lecturer and political analyst Prof David Monda notes that the power struggle in ODM is between idealists and pragmatists. He says individuals like Mr Sifuna are idealists who are uncomfortable with Kenya Kwanza’s abuses of power and the erosion of ODM’s traditional role as a loyal opposition.
In contrast, he describes figures like Mr Mohamed as pragmatists who are ready to work with “the brutal Kenya Kwanza political regime”.
“I think this tension will split the party in the run-up to the 2027 elections. There are numerous idealistic voices in ODM who are very unhappy with the abuse of power by Kenya Kwanza and the amorphous role of ODM in the administration, more in line with public sentiment,” said Prof Monda.
He added: “On the other hand, there are pragmatists who want to use the Raila–Ruto bromance to boost their political fortunes in Kenya’s cut-throat power landscape.”
Mr Odinga has led ODM since its formation in 2005. The party has maintained strongholds in Nyanza, Western, Coast, Nairobi, parts of the Rift Valley and the Northeastern regions.
