- ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna has ignored UDA’s efforts to build unity with ODM in the November by-elections
- He criticized Deputy President Kithure Kindiki for allegedly confusing voters by claiming that UDA and ODM will present their respective ‘broad-based’ candidates in the by-elections. Kindiki had announced that the UDA would support the ODM candidate in Kasipul, while the Orange party would back him in the Malava and Banissa by-elections, among others.
Secretary General of ODM Edwin Sifuna he has condemned the widespread narrative propagated by supporters of broad government.
Source: Facebook
Sifuna insists that the ODM party must maintain its identity, even if it has an agreement with the ruling UDA party.
The Nairobi senator criticized the Deputy President Kithur Kindiki indirectly, who led the government-wide contingent in campaigning for the ODM candidate in the Kasipul by-election.
Why did UDA decide to support ODM candidates?
ODM nominates Boyd Were, the son of former Member of Parliament late Ong’ondo Were.
Addressing a packed political rally in Kasipul on Friday, October 31, Kindiki said that the UDA party will vote for Boyd over ODM, given their current working relationship.
The deputy president further claimed that ODM will support UDA candidates in other by-elections, describing them as “broad-based” candidates.
But speaking in Mombasa on Saturday, November 1, Sifuna claimed that there is no such thing as a “broad-based candidate”, urging each party to deal with its political issues independently.
Why does Sifuna not want Kindiki to promote ODM by-election candidates
According to Sifuna, the agreement between ODM and UDA does not create a coalition that requires joint political cooperation, and therefore, each party should pursue its own agenda in its own way.
“The agreement we have with the UDA is very clear… I understand the agreement as the author of it. I know what you say and what you don’t say. I wrote that this agreement does not form an alliance with the UDA; yes, President William Ruto and Father Raila Odinga signed it. Father told us to continue with our identity. My color and symbol is orange. Others tell us that we have many candidates in the November by-election,” he said.
The Nairobi senator accused Kindiki and his associates of misleading voters with false designs that have no legitimacy.
Source: Twitter
Sifuna insisted that ODM will participate in the next by-election as an independent entity, rejecting the alliance being touted by the Deputy President.
“Broad-based is not a party. It has no candidates. There are those old voters who do not know how to read; they will identify their preferred candidate through the color and symbol of the party, so what is the color and symbol of broad-based? It is not a party and it does not exist anywhere. Leaders should not create confusion for voters unless they are sent to undermine our candidates. For example, in Magarini, we will go as ODM and not broad-based,” Sifuna said.
The famous senator noted that the late Raila Odinga he insisted that ODM should continue to have its uniqueness even during cooperation with other political groups.
Will ODM support Ruto in 2027?
The party is still unclear about its direction for 2027, with prominent figures giving conflicting views.
Currently it is compatible with the President’s UDA William Ruto through a comprehensive program formalized through a memorandum of understanding formalized in March this year.
Following the death of the late Raila, ODM seems unsettled, with members divided over whether to support Ruto’s re-election.
Kisumu Women’s Representative Ruth Odinga confirmed the party’s commitment to the president until 2027, after which it will decide its path.
He clarified that the pre-election agreement with Ruto is not respected, stressing the need to strengthen ODM’s grassroots structures before the next election.
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