NAIROBI, Kenya — ODM’s Edwin Sifuna Admits Party in ‘Total Confusion,’ Blames Leadership for Losing Its Voice
In a candid TV interview that left jaws on the floor and eyebrows permanently raised, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna didn’t mince his words: Kenya’s once-mighty Orange Democratic Movement is in a state of confusion—and its leadership, including himself, is to blame.
Speaking on Citizen TV’s The Explainer Tuesday night, Sifuna revealed he’s no longer sure what his own party stands for.
“There was a time when you could wake me up at 3 a.m., ask me the ODM position on anything—devolution, Article 37, street protests—and I’d give it to you, no hesitation,” he said. “Now? I struggle. I’m not sure what we believe in anymore.”
That might explain why even the party faithful are struggling to keep the faith. Sifuna acknowledged that ODM’s recent actions—and inactions—have created an ideological identity crisis, where party messaging clashes with individual political moves.
He pointed to ODM members taking up government appointments, saying, “You see a former opposition heavyweight now sitting in Cabinet. Our supporters are confused. And rightly so.”
The Nairobi Senator went as far as apologizing to ODM members, admitting that leadership has failed to maintain a united voice. “It’s very difficult right now to discern the position of ODM on major issues. And that is the biggest sadness—because it should be easy,” he said.
Sifuna’s rare moment of introspection was more than a PR stunt. He gave specifics: declining to join a team reviewing the controversial MoU between ODM and President Ruto’s UDA. His reasoning? “I declared this MoU dead. I am not a mortician,” he quipped. Translation: he sees no point in reviving a political corpse.
The ODM Secretary General didn’t spare himself either. “I want to apologise to members of ODM for all the confusion we as a leadership have caused,” he said, admitting that internal contradictions have made it nearly impossible to maintain the party’s identity as a pro-democracy movement.
And while his tone was remorseful, he made it clear he’s not ready to throw in the towel.
“I have not given up on ODM. The day I do, I’ll say it publicly,” he affirmed. “ODM is more than its 160 elected leaders. It’s a movement of over 5 million registered members.”
Despite his frustration, Sifuna believes ODM’s strength still lies in its grassroots—and that reclaiming the party’s founding values is the only way forward. “You can’t just give up and quit on a 20-year-old institution,” he said.
For now, though, ODM seems trapped between past glory and present confusion. And if Sifuna—the party’s chief communicator—can’t confidently speak for ODM anymore, it might be time for more than just apologies. It might be time for a full-blown reinvention.
