Embattled ODM party Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna is facing a political dilemma over his next move, with four options that could make or break his career ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Nairobi senator finds himself in a fraught political landscape marked by internal turmoil within ODM and shifting alliances, with his next choice expected to carry serious ramifications for his future.
The lawmaker is weighing tough options, including remaining in ODM, quitting the party to go it alone, aligning with former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Azimio or Jubilee Party, or joining forces with Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua.
Mr Sifuna, the Senate deputy minority whip, was last week ousted as ODM secretary-general but has taken the party to court, challenging the decision and arguing that he was not granted an adequate opportunity to respond to allegations that led to his removal.
He secured a reprieve after the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal barred ODM from implementing the resolution to remove him.
The tribunal suspended the decision passed by ODM’s National Executive Committee on February 11, 2026, during a meeting in Mombasa.
The orders also prohibited the party and the Registrar of Political Parties from publishing the contested decision in the Kenya Gazette, effectively freezing the move pending an inter-partes hearing scheduled for February 26.
Busia Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo had been appointed acting secretary-general in his place.
The senator’s decision to go to court signals a possible intent to stay and fight from within the party founded by the late Raila Odinga, rather than bolt out.
“I am in ODM and nobody can kick me out of ODM. I have no intention of leaving. You don’t have to be an official to be a member of the party,” Mr Sifuna said last week.
Ousted ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna addresses journalists at Sarova Panafric hotel in Nairobi on February 12, 2025.
However, this option depends on whether he can convince party officials, members and powerbrokers that ODM’s future lies in disengaging from President William Ruto’s administration and charting its own political path, rather than collaborating with the ruling regime.
The second option would be to quit ODM should it formally cement a pre-election pact with President Ruto, a move Mr Sifuna has vehemently opposed.
An outspoken critic of any endorsement of Dr Ruto’s 2027 re-election bid, Mr Sifuna’s vocal stance resonates with a significant section of ODM supporters who feel disenfranchised by the current government.
Many see him as a principled dissenting voice still carrying ODM’s pro-people ideology.
Perceived as speaking the language of Millennials and Gen Z , projected to form the largest voting bloc in the next election, the first-term senator could be buoyed by his recent reception among the masses to test his political mettle either as an independent or through a new political party.
In August 2025, he hinted at quitting ODM if it resolved to support President Ruto’s re-election.
Then-ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna during celebrations marking what would have been the 81st birthday of former Prime Minister the late Raila Odinga at his home in Karen, Nairobi, on January 7, 2025.
Together with Saboti MP Caleb Amisi, a member of the Kenya Moja movement, he threatened to lead a mass walkout should ODM back Dr Ruto.
Speaking during a women empowerment event in Lukhome, Saboti Constituency, Trans Nzoia County, Mr Sifuna made his position clear.
“I stand by my views against the government. I want to remind those in ODM who are questioning me that I have the right to speak my mind. I will not support ODM’s resolution to endorse William Ruto in 2027,” he said.
“I am ready to be replaced in ODM. The day they say ODM has agreed to join hands and support UDA in the 2027 elections that I will not be part of it.”
Recent massive crowds drawn by the Sifuna-led faction in Busia and Kitengela, Kajiado County, have boosted his political standing, with his growing influence among Gen Z and Millennials becoming increasingly evident.
This cohort is emerging not just as a voting bloc, but also as a cultural and political movement.
According to the 2019 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics census, youth constitute more than 75 percent of the country’s 47.6 million people.
Those aged 18 to 34 stood at 13.7 million — roughly 29 percent of the national population. IEBC data show there were 22,120,458 registered voters in 2022.
Kisii Governor Simba Arati and ODM party leader Dr Oburu Oginga at Sameta grounds in Kisii County during the 'Linda Ground' function on January 25, 2026.
The third option is for the 43-year-old to join forces with Mr Kenyatta as part of the recently revived Azimio Coalition Party or Jubilee Party.
Mr Sifuna has recently been warming up to the United Opposition, appearing conspicuously in its public engagements and fueling speculation over where his political loyalties lie.
He has also been echoing Mr Kenyatta’s political messaging and defending his role in Raila Odinga’s unsuccessful 2022 presidential bid.
The presence of Pauline Njoroge, Jubilee Party deputy organizing secretary, at the Kitengela rally has further heightened speculation.
The fourth option is for Mr Sifuna to join ranks with Mr Gachagua, whose party is expected to enjoy significant support in Nairobi, partly due to ethnic voting patterns witnessed in the capital.
This could be crucial as Mr Sifuna prepares to defend his Senate seat.
Speaking during the burial of Embakasi North MP James Gakuya’s mother in Murang’a last month, Mr Gachagua hinted at the possibility of Mr Sifuna joining his camp.
“We are waiting for many people, including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who wants to join us…,” said the former Mathira MP.
At the burial, Mr Sifuna hit out at “some leaders” he accused of trying to dictate which funerals people can attend or who they should associate with.
“I will not allow anyone to choose for me friends and enemies. I was voted as Nairobi senator by all tribes,” he said.
Voting in cosmopolitan Nairobi County has largely followed ethnic patterns, with the Kikuyu, Luhya, Kamba, Luo and Kisii maintaining dominance in the capital’s political landscape.
In 2022, Azimio swept most contests, having the backing of major communities apart from the Kikuyu.
With Kikuyu, Kamba and sections of Luhya and Kisii now in the United Opposition, the political arithmetic could favour Mr Sifuna should he emerge as the coalition’s candidate — boosted by the fact that Raila Odinga, a central figure in Nairobi politics, is no more.
In the 2022 elections, Mr Sifuna won the senatorial contest after garnering 716,651 votes out of 2,415,310 registered voters.
He beat his main rival, Bishop Margaret Wanjiru of the United Democratic Alliance, who received 524,021 votes.
Mr Sifuna’s tally was higher than that of ODM’s Esther Passaris, who retained her woman representative seat with 698,929 votes.
However, his votes were slightly fewer than the 721,211 received by party leader Raila Odinga.
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