NAIROBI, Kenya – A showdown is looming in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) as party leader Raila Odinga prepares to convene a National Delegates Convention (NDC) in October — a meeting expected to set the party’s political direction for 2027 and determine whether Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna survives a growing rebellion from Raila’s loyalists.
The NDC, which will elect new national officials, comes amid intensifying pressure to oust Sifuna over his vocal opposition to Raila’s political pact with President William Ruto.
The outspoken Nairobi senator has openly declared he would quit ODM if it backed Ruto’s re-election, a stance at odds with Raila’s own commitment to extend cooperation with the president beyond 2027.
“I don’t have any doubt… we will be able to move beyond 2027, and nobody should try to threaten us,” Raila said recently, signalling his determination to stick with the deal.
Insiders say Sifuna’s repeated public contradictions of the party leader have crossed “a red line” for senior ODM figures.
The tensions burst into the open after Sifuna dismissed the Raila–Ruto pact as “dead,” citing continued police brutality and the June 8 death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang in police custody.
His comments came just days after a party crisis meeting aimed at unifying ODM’s stance on working with Ruto’s administration.
Several ODM legislators have publicly urged Sifuna to step aside.
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma last month demanded his resignation, accusing him of “creating confusion,” while Alego Usonga MP Sam Atandi dismissed Sifuna’s threats to quit.
“If you threaten us that you can leave ODM, you are free to leave,” Atandi said. “We have other capable spokespeople… Even Jared Okello (Nyando MP) is here; he has better English than these leaders purporting to be speaking for the party.”
ODM’s Central Committee resolved on July 15 to summon all delegates in October, with observers predicting the NDC could strip Sifuna of influence or initiate his replacement.
