MOMBASA, Kenya — Tensions within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) escalated further on Thursday after the party’s deputy leader and Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir accused some senior members of working to destabilise the party from within, warning that internal sabotage would not be tolerated as the 2027 General Election approaches.
Speaking in Likoni on December 25, Nassir claimed that despite holding influential positions, some ODM leaders were acting contrary to the party’s collective direction, undermining unity at a critical political moment.
“We will not allow our party to be weakened from within. This party belongs to its members, and as leaders, we bear a responsibility to safeguard their interests and to act in the best interests of our country,” Nassir said.
He insisted that ODM’s strategic direction should be debated openly rather than through what he termed covert manoeuvres, stressing that leadership demands honesty and accountability.
“If there are differing views or proposals, let them be presented openly and constructively, just as we openly declared our intention to form government. Leadership demands honesty, courage and accountability; not concealment,” he added.
Nassir also appeared to push back against voices insisting ODM must automatically remain in opposition following the death of party leader Raila Odinga, arguing that the party’s future lay in power politics rather than permanent opposition.
“In 2027, ODM will either form the next government or be part of the next government,” he said, signalling that the party remains open to strategic alliances.
The Mombasa governor further criticised sections of the opposition now courting ODM, noting that the same political actors dismissed the party’s bid for leadership in 2022 because it was not part of government.
His remarks come amid increasingly public disagreements within ODM over its participation in the broad-based government arrangement with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
Earlier this week, National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohammed accused senior party figures — including Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and Siaya Governor James Orengo — of attempting to “sell the party” to the opposition while publicly accusing others of selling it to the government.
“These are the people who make the loudest noise in ODM. They want to ensure the broad-based government fails so that we can go to Wamunyoro,” Junet said, referring to former president Uhuru Kenyatta’s home.
Junet further alleged that Uhuru had promised to inject more than Sh1 billion into ODM if the party aligned itself with a united opposition bloc.
“Uhuru promised to invest over one billion shillings to strengthen our party and that we would form the next government if ODM aligned with the United Opposition,” he claimed.
The internal rift has also drawn in the party’s youth wing. ODM youth league member Kasmuel Mcoure recently threatened to push for the removal of Sifuna as secretary general, accusing him of disrespecting ODM leader Oburu Odinga during a political event in western Kenya.
The disputes reflect a deepening factional struggle within ODM, with one camp — associated with leaders such as Orengo, Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino — openly criticising the party’s cooperation with President Ruto’s administration and questioning the credibility of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between ODM and UDA in early 2025.
They argue that the arrangement risks eroding ODM’s identity as a reformist opposition party.
In contrast, another faction led by ODM chairperson and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has defended the broad-based government, with Wanga recently stating that ODM would support President Ruto’s re-election bid in 2027.
Political analysts say the infighting reflects unresolved questions about ODM’s post-Raila identity, its ideological direction, and whether it should prioritise access to state power or retain an oppositional posture.
With less than two years to the next election, the party’s ability to manage its internal contradictions may determine whether ODM emerges as a united force — or heads into 2027 deeply divided.
