Aasai

FEARS of a split in the party and the removal of Secretary General Edwin Sifuna may have led ODM to postpone its National Delegates Conference (NDC), which was scheduled to be held next month. After holding its local elections, ODM had scheduled the conference to be held on October 14 to elect national officers ahead of the 2027 general elections. However, the conference will now be scrapped, with party sources saying that new officers will be elected within the first quarter of next year. Yesterday, ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga, who is the Governor of Homa Bay, said the party will now celebrate its 20th anniversary instead of holding the NDC. 

ODM was founded in 2005 as a result of the oppositions campaign against the draft New Constitution and the Chungwa symbol. News that the conference will not be held was also confirmed by Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, who are the deputies of party leader Raila Odinga.

 “The party committee has set October as the month when the national convention will be held and new officers will be elected and a new direction will be given,” said Mr Sifuna after an ODM committee meeting held last month. Mr Sifuna has been a thorn in the side of ODM and UDA in the coalition government, and Mr Odinga’s cronies have been pressuring him to leave the party, accusing him of promoting the opposition’s agenda. Siaya Senator Dr Oburu Oginga, Mr Odinga’s brother, has repeatedly in public meetings slammed Mr Sifuna and called for him to leave ODM, saying the party is collaborating with President Ruto’s administration to secure development projects in its strongholds. “We cannot have a party secretary who thinks he is at the top of the party hierarchy. 

If he considers himself a bigot, then he should consult Ababu Namwamba (former minister and ODM secretary) to understand what has happened to him. Sifuna should leave ODM,” said Dr Oginga on July 29 in Siaya County. In Dr Ogingas group are Ms Wanga, Homa Bay Town MP Opondo Kaluma, and Finance Minister John Mbadi, among other leaders, especially from Luo Nyanza. Mr Odingas allies, who are not interested in Mr Sifuna, were aiming to use the NDC election to oust him, with sources indicating that the position would go to Nyando MP Jared Okello or another moderate MP from the West of the country.

 Mr Sifuna already seems to have taken the path of divorcing the party after starting the One Kenya movement with other budding politicians, including Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, Gathoni Wamucomba (Githunguri), Caleb Amisi (Saboti), Anthony Kibagendi of Kitutu Chache South, among other MPs. Some felt that if Mr Sifuna is ousted, ODM will suffer a blow in the West of the country, as there is a fear that some leaders would move and follow him to his new home.

Some felt that the party currently has a strong leadership structure and that the convention would be interfered with by outside politicians, and some of the leaders who would end up elected would not be loyal to the party. 

Therefore, delaying the election is expected to reduce tensions within the party to give it a better chance to prepare for the 2027 general elections. “We do not want to mix the celebrations with internal party issues because we expect even former members to join us during these celebrations,” said Mr Osotsi. 

“We would lose the value of these celebrations if we mix them with the NDC and the elections. We want our members to celebrate, assess the steps the party has taken, and look at how to strengthen it before the 2027 elections,” added the Vihiga Senator. The Senator urged field leaders and party members to remain calm, promising that they would have the opportunity to elect ODM national leaders.

 Mr Nassir also dismissed the NDCs plan to sack some leaders, saying the leaders appointed yesterday would be given their official positions to serve the party. Mr Osotsi, Nassir, and Kisii Governor Simba Arati were appointed as party deputies, while Ms Wanga was appointed as chairperson. The changes were prompted by the appointment of Opiyo Wandayi, Wycliffe Oparanya, and John Mbadi as ministers in President Rutos government after the Gen Z protests last year.