NAIROBI, Kenya—Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has joined the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), ending months of speculation over his political future as he prepares to defend his seat in the 2027 General Election.
Sakaja was welcomed to the party on Monday, November 2, at Chungwa House in Nairobi by senior ODM officials, including Deputy Party Leader and Kisii Governor Simba Arati.
The governor said he would use the Orange party to seek a second term, marking a major political shift after winning the Nairobi governorship in 2022 on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket.
His move follows months of pressure from ODM leaders and supporters who had urged him to abandon the ruling party and join the Orange movement.
Sakaja’s ODM move follows months of consultations
In August 2026, Sakaja confirmed that he had received invitations from ODM officials and members who wanted him to join the party.
Speaking during a Radio Citizen interview on August 26, the governor said he was consulting widely before making a decision, adding that the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga had also wanted him to join ODM.
Sakaja described Raila as a father figure and said they had held several discussions about his possible move before the former ODM leader died.
“There is no official date for when we will leave UDA, but the call is there. It is something I am observing, we must also look at what people are saying,” he said at the time.
The governor’s next public signal came on Saturday, October 31, when he attended an ODM rally at Jacaranda Grounds in Nairobi.
During the gathering, Sakaja asked supporters which political party they wanted him to join ahead of the next election.
The crowd urged him to choose ODM, after which he asked the party’s leadership to consider welcoming him.
His appearance at Chungwa House on Monday followed that public exchange.
ODM leaders had pushed Sakaja to join the party
The governor’s move comes after months of public pressure from ODM leaders, who argued that he would have a better chance of retaining the Nairobi governorship on the party’s ticket.
In July 2026, ODM Director of Elections and Suna East MP Junet Mohamed challenged Sakaja to join the party if he wanted its support in the 2027 elections.
Junet said ODM intended to field candidates for all elective positions in Nairobi and would not automatically support Sakaja if he remained in UDA.
“If Sakaja still wants to be re-elected as Nairobi governor in 2027, he should come to ODM. If he chooses to remain where he is, he will wait until Jesus returns and nobody will elect him,” Junet said during an empowerment event in Kileleshwa.
The legislator also maintained that ODM had its own ambitions for Nairobi and would not surrender the gubernatorial contest without the governor joining its ranks.
In 2025, Raila had publicly expressed support for Sakaja’s re-election bid, urging ODM members to remember the governor when they went to the ballot.
Sakaja’s entry into ODM now places him within the party’s political structures ahead of the contest for Nairobi’s top seat in 2027.
