Sifuna tells off Oburu, Orengo calls for protests in parallel ODM event
What you need to know:
- Mr Sifuna dismissed attempts to edge him out through what he termed irregular processes.
- Embakasi East MP Babu Owino accused authorities of attempting to disrupt the meeting.
Embattled Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has said he is ready to face off with his opponents, even as he questioned the legality of a Special National Delegates Convention held by the Oburu Oginga-led group at Jamhuri Grounds.
In a parallel meeting at the iconic Ufungamano House in Nairobi, Mr Sifuna dared those seeking his removal to convene a fresh National Delegates Convention (NDC), the party’s highest decision-making organ, where officials would be elected through the ballot.
During the Ufungamano meeting in Nairobi on Friday, Mr Sifuna dismissed attempts to edge him out through what he termed irregular processes, insisting that leadership in ODM cannot be reconfigured outside the structures sanctioned by members.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna addresses delegates during the People’s Delegate Convention organised by the Linda Mwananchi faction of the ODM at Ufungamano House in Nairobi on March 27, 2026.
“Our party is in danger. We want to go to a National Delegates Convention where every member is on the ballot. All the leadership positions are given by the people. There is nobody who can sit down and think that Sifuna is going to die for being in any position of leadership,” Mr Sifuna said.
Mr Sifuna said it had been the “honour of his life” to serve as Secretary General under the late ODM leader Raila Odinga, dismissing suggestions that he should step aside and sharply rebuking those pushing for his removal.
“I want you to look at me. Do you see me? You want to tell me that I can be the Secretary General (SG) for ODM for eight years, then I become the Secretary General of mediocrity? I want to tell Oburu this — you need to look for your SG. I cannot be your Secretary General,” he said to applause from supporters.
He maintained that leadership positions within ODM are not permanent and must be determined by party members, insisting he is not clinging to office but opposed to what he termed unconstitutional attempts to replace him.
“Sifuna was not born to be SG forever. There are many people who can take up leadership positions. But if you want to replace Sifuna, you must follow the party constitution. You need to call an NDC where everybody will be on the ballot,” he said.
Mr Sifuna also criticised the Special Delegates Convention convened by the Oburu faction, dismissing it as illegitimate.
“As Linda Mwananchi (a faction opposed to the Oburu-led Linda Ground movement), we will have a line-up right from the party leader. We want the position of the chairperson, and we have our candidate. We will meet on the ballot. There is nobody in ODM who recognises the event taking place at Ngong Road,” he said.
Siaya Governor James Orengo addresses delegates during the People’s Delegate Convention organised by the Linda Mwananchi faction of the ODM at Ufungamano House in Nairobi on March 27, 2026.
Siaya Governor James Orengo, the senior most politician in the Linda Mwananchi group and who had the most closeness to the Ufungamano forum, called for sustained civic action, linking past struggles for independence to present-day protests and urging younger Kenyans to defend their rights.
“What I am saying is true, freedom is always born out of rebellion. Every time we have a new dispensation, if you do not remain vigilant, you go back to where you started,” he said at the venue where many pro-reforms meetings have been held since the 1990s.
Linda Mwananchi protests
“We have chased away the police and we are now at Ufungamano. For us to get independence, we had a rebellion. We call upon the new generation of Kenyans to stand up for their rights,” he added.
Mr Orengo said the Linda Mwananchi faction would hold protests on June 24 in remembrance of young people killed during recent demonstrations.
“We will come out on June 24 to commemorate with the Gen Z who were killed during the (2024 and 2025) protests. We will be on the streets and in churches,” he said.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino addresses delegates during the People’s Delegate Convention organised by the Linda Mwananchi faction of the ODM at Ufungamano House in Nairobi on March 27, 2026.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino accused authorities of attempting to disrupt the meeting, claiming police had been deployed to interfere instead of providing security.
“They told us we would not arrive here, but we are now here. The police have been sent to disrupt our meeting. They should be providing security for us,” he said, adding that officers themselves face poor working conditions.
Mr Owino dismissed a rival gathering as illegal, insisting that only the party’s Secretary General has the mandate to convene a National Delegates Convention.
From left: Suba South MP Caroli Omondi, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Siaya Governor James Orengo and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi during the People’s Delegate Convention organized by the Linda Mwananchi faction of the ODM at Ufungamano House in Nairobi on March 27, 2026.
“That is an illegal meeting. Only the SG can call for an NDC, and the SG (Mr Sifuna) is here with us,” he said.
He also used the platform to highlight broader governance concerns, citing unemployment among teachers and what he described as the government’s failure to honour collective bargaining agreements.
He criticised the education system, saying the current student banding system was “illegal” and oppressive.
Suba South MP Caroli Omondi who is also the Azimio Secretary General, said it was “a sad day” that he was the only founding member of ODM present at the Ufungamano meeting, recalling the party’s early days as a grassroots movement built on public support.
Suba South MP Caroli Omondi addresses delegates during the People’s Delegate Convention organised by the Linda Mwananchi faction of the ODM at Ufungamano House in Nairobi on March 27, 2026.
“When we started ODM, we had nothing. We only wanted to serve Kenyans, and the citizens supported us,” he said. Mr Omondi also made claims about the late party leader Raila Odinga’s final days and called for transparency over the circumstances of his death.
“The last meeting we had as MPs, Baba (Mr Odinga) told us never to talk about two terms (for President William Ruto). Immediately after that, he became sick. There must come a time when Kenyans get to know what happened to Baba,” he said.
He further alleged that individuals he described as “scavengers” had surrounded Mr Odinga in recent years and were now behind rival political activities.
“They are the same people you see at Jamhuri grounds. They held a meeting at Trans Mara where Ruto told them that by March 27 Sifuna should be out. But by God’s will, Sifuna is still the Secretary General,” he said.
The leaders allied to the Linda Mwananchi faction earlier defied police officers who had attempted to block their entry into the venue, forcing their way into the hall as tensions briefly flared outside.
The developments point to an escalating struggle within ODM that is no longer confined to internal party organs but is increasingly spilling into the public arena. The emergence of parallel meetings, rival declarations and open defiance of authority signals a party grappling with competing centres of power, each seeking to claim legitimacy.
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