The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has reached a critical point because party leaders are fighting to control the organization while Oburu Oginga and his supporters prepare to punish Edwin Sifuna and his main associates because of ongoing political conflict.
The National Executive Council (NEC) will hold a meeting on February 11 because reports indicate that they will establish formal sanctions against major dissenters who pose a threat to one of Kenya’s historic political parties.
The internal conflict centers on the party’s stance toward cooperation with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) as Kenya edges closer to the 2027 general election. Sifuna, who leads the “Linda Wananchi” initiative, has denied Oburu and his group the right to endorse or establish a pre-election deal with the Kenya Kwanza government because he believes all political agreements should maintain ODM’s independence and essential values.
After Sifuna declared that UDA prevented the party from forming a pre-election alliance with them, his party supporters who back Oburu became furious because Sifuna’s team repeated their opposition to working with the ruling party at a Busia event.
Oburu’s group plans to use the NEC meeting to target Sifuna; at the same time, they will also pursue Deputy Party Leader Geoffrey Osotsi and Deputy Organizing Secretary Ruth Odinga. Critics from within the ODM party accuse all three of attempting to overthrow established party leadership, which results in potential disciplinary action against them.
The developments show public disagreement, which rarely occurs within ODM because party members disagree about their leadership path after their leader died. Political analysts say the looming sanctions could deepen divisions and prompt some leaders to reconsider their allegiance, which will potentially reshape alliances before the next election cycle.
The NEC meeting will start soon, and people expect major conflicts to occur when important leaders present their arguments. Observers warn that the fallout could weaken ODM’s national cohesion at a time when a unified opposition strategy is widely seen as critical to challenging the ruling government’s agenda.
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