Sifuna: Ruto camp plotted to replace me at ODM Mombasa event
ODM Secretary General, Edwin Sifuna, addresses residents of Funyula at Bukiri Primary School in Busia County on February 28, 2025.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna now claims that President William Ruto had schemed to have him replaced as the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General.
Speaking on Friday during a fundraising event for widows in Bomachoge Borabu Constituency in Kisii County, Mr Sifuna alleged that the president’s camp was behind a plot to “deal with me” during the recent ODM@20 Founders’ Dinner in Mombasa.
“We held that meeting on Sunday or Saturday night — is Sifuna still the Secretary General or not?” he said.
The ODM Secretary General, accompanied by members of the Kenya Moja Alliance, maintained a hard stance against what he termed President William Ruto’s misrule.
MPs Caleb Hamisi (Saboti), Obadiah Barongo (Bomachoge Borabu), Clive Gisairo (Kitutu Masaba), Anthony Kibagendi (Kitutu Chache South) and Gathoni wa Muchomba (Githunguri) were in attendance.
The hard-hitting statement by Mr Sifuna and his colleagues is despite the Orange party having entered a cooperation deal with the ruling United Democratic Alliance under the Broad-Based arrangement.
President Ruto was among ODM's founding members who attended the party's dinner in Mombasa on Saturday last week.
From left: ODM Deputy Part leaders, Simba Arati, Godfrey Osotsi, Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna and Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi during the ODM@20 anniversary at Mama Ngina Waterfront in Mombasa on November 15, 2025.
ODM was marking its 20-year milestone with a three-day celebration at the Mama Ngina Waterfront, running from Friday to Sunday, to commemorate what it described as two decades of political service and struggle. The anniversary highlighted the legacy of ODM’s late leader, Raila Amolo Odinga.
Battle lines drawn
Mr Sifuna said he will join hands with any leader willing to send President Ruto home, including Dr Fred Matiang’i.
“I was at the KICC when ODM wrote an agreement with the UDA party. From that 10-point agenda, President William Ruto did not mention even a single point when he was giving his State of the Nation address in Parliament on Thursday,” said Mr Sifuna.
The Nairobi Senator claimed that abductions and killings of youths are still happening in the country in total disregard of the agreement. He said
“I am the one who wrote that agreement and I have the marking scheme”.
He cautioned ODM leaders, who are still supporting the broad-based government, saying that no one truly understands the real agreement between President Ruto and Raila Odinga.
“It is only William Ruto and Raila Odinga who know what they agreed. Others were just observers. Now to you observers, we don’t fear; when we speak, you threaten to remove Sifuna and me from the party because we are telling them the truth,” said the Saboti MP.
He added, “It is only Baba who knew when broad-based was sick and when to take it to the hospital. It is only he who knew when to give malaria medicine to broad-based. Don’t tell ODM members that we are in broad-based until 2027.”
Mr Hamisi stated that the late Odinga worked with various governments but always left.
“This was not the first time that Baba got into government. He worked with President Daniel arap Moi and left one year before the election. He worked in the grand coalition government with President Mwai Kibaki but walked out. He also worked with President Uhuru Kenyatta;” he said, claiming that the late ODM party leader would have left the broad-based arrangement by March 2026.
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