Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna is refusing to bow out as Secretary General of the Orange Democratic Movement, even as senior figures fault his public criticism of the party’s recent direction.
In a Tuesday night interview, Sifuna said he still believes ODM can regain its moral compass. “The reason I will not resign yet is because I have not given up yet, I have not given up on members of the ODM,” he told Citizen TV. “On the day that I give up, I will tell you, I will say it publicly that I have lost the battle to rescue this party and to bring it back to where it was.”
The senator conceded the movement has lost its once-sharp voice on issues such as devolution and civil liberties. “There is a lot of confusion,” he admitted, apologising to supporters for mixed signals on key policy questions.
That mea culpa came hours after Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, himself a former ODM chair, openly reprimanded Sifuna. Speaking to Ramogi TV, Mbadi reminded the senator that final word rests with party leader Raila Odinga. “Between the Party Leader and the Secretary General, whose decision is final?” he posed, urging Sifuna to respect the chain of command.
Mbadi also defended ODM stalwarts now serving in President William Ruto’s cabinet, claiming their appointments were cleared by Odinga after “extensive consultations.” The CS argued cooperation with government will continue until 2027, insisting internal critics should fall in line.
Sifuna pushed back, saying the sight of ODM big-wigs in government jobs has left grassroots supporters bewildered. “You see a member of ODM who used to hold a premier position, now serving as Cabinet Secretary, and it leaves our supporters very confused,” he noted.
Calls for his resignation are not new. In April, Mumias East MP Peter Salasya used X to tell Sifuna *“you can’t oppose a government your party sleeps with,” warning the senator would be “doomed” if he stayed put. Sifuna brushed off the jab, but it highlighted widening rifts between ODM’s parliamentary wing and party headquarters.
Analysts say the clash reflects a broader ideological vacuum. Since last year’s rapprochement with State House, derided by Gen Z protesters as an elite “handshake”, ODM leaders have vacillated between fiery opposition rhetoric and pragmatic deal-making.
That hedging has cost the party momentum at a time when anti-tax protests have thrust new, younger voices onto the national stage.
Whether the senator can revive ODM’s reformist brand or ends up sidelined may hinge on a planned grassroots caucus later this year. Loyalists hope the meeting will settle questions around 2027 succession politics, especially if Odinga, now 79 , signals retirement. For now, Sifuna insists he is staying put.
