- Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has categorically rejected Oburu Oginga’s leadership of ODM, announcing that he will not serve under him as the party’s general secretary.
- He accused the Oburu group of handing over ODM to President William Ruto and condemned the Special Delegates Meeting as illegal
- Sifuna insisted that only locally elected delegates at the Assembly Hall represented legitimacy, calling the opposition rally along Ngong Road unconstitutional.
The general secretary of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is in crisis Edwin Sifuna has refused to join the wing loyal to Siaya senator Oburu Oginga.
Source: Facebook
Speaking during Linda Mwananchi’s meeting at the Unity Hall on Friday, March 27, Sifuna announced that he will not recognize Oburu’s tenure as ODM leader.
Sifuna condemned the party to be handed over to the President William Ruto through Oburu and his followers, adding that the leadership approved at the Special Delegates Conference (SDC) was illegal.
Therefore, he said he would not work under Oburu, adding that the party he once believed in had split.
“Oburu, find your own secretary-general, I cannot be your secretary-general. I will not be a stupid SG. After Raila Odinga, you characters do not deserve me. I will say it without any fear or favour,” he said.
Sifuna maintains that he does not recognize Oburu’s leadership, despite being among those who supported his inauguration after the National Leadership Council (NGC) meeting in Mombasa on November 13, 2025.
He is currently raising concerns about the process and timing of Oburu’s elevation after the death of the party’s longtime leader Raila Odinga in October 2025.
He said he was surprised by the decision to appoint Oburu as acting leader, noting that he had traveled to India with other officials to facilitate the return of Raila’s body on October 16, only to find a transition already in place.
He suggested that some people within the party had started planning the succession even before Raila’s body arrived, questioning the ethics of such actions and demanding transparency on who approved Oburu’s appointment.
The Nairobi senator said that ODM’s constitution and internal agreement require an organized election process instead of unilateral declarations.
He emphasized that no members voted to approve Oburu, warning that this was different from the democratic principles that the party has followed for a long time.
He emphasized his point about the local elections held across the country, which he said followed the previous resolution.
Sifuna disclosed that he personally participated in the exercise in Westlands, where he was selected as a member, along with other officers who went through similar processes.
He stressed that the presence of duly elected delegates at the Ufuanga Hall confirmed their meeting, compared to the parallel meeting along Ngong Road.
He questioned the credibility of the meeting, describing it as inconsistent with ODM’s election plan. He questioned why leaders who supported grassroots votes were not ready to submit to the national election process.
Describing the matter as a test of responsibility, the senator asked why a party capable of organizing elections at lower levels would avoid doing the same at higher levels.
He further went on to officially declare the opposition meeting illegal, citing his authority as general secretary.
Read ENGLISH VERSION
Do you have an exciting story that you would like us to publish? Please contact us via news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
