Wamuzi News Ke
Today’s event brought about a very significant and violent increase in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) crisis, with Migori’s Senator Eddy Oketch officially presenting a motion that demanded the expulsion of the party’s Secretary General and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, accusing him of serious misconduct and breaking the party’s law.
The unprecedented motion is one of the most explosive internal disputes in the party’s recent history and also one of the factors that are most likely to intensify the opposition’s factional struggle.
Senator Oketch, through his lawyers, submitted a harsh complaint alleging that Sifuna had silently deserted ODM’s fundamental values and beliefs by supporting the interests and ideas of other political groups, actions that Oketch claims are a violation of the Political Parties Act.
The senator maintains that Sifuna’s actions are tantamount to stepping down from the party, relying on Section 14A (1) (e) of the Act.
Oketch goes on to say that Sifuna had been, among other things, ignoring the constitutional provisions of the ODM party, breaking internal governance rules, and leaking confidential party matters.
One of the main topics of his motion is the recent disputes surrounding Sifuna’s statements about the use of campaign funds during the 2022 presidential election that Raila Odinga contested and eventually lost; these statements have created intense conflict between Sifuna and other party representatives.
The motion is not just about a party leadership challenge. Oketch is demanding the de-whipping of Sifuna—taking away all his positions in parliament—and also wants him out of ODM’s membership list.
The senator has requested disciplinary action against Sifuna, indicating that this is an attempt to literally cut off all his links with the party.
Political experts see the motion as a major turning point that reveals the deep strategic and ideological rifts within ODM after the passing away of the party’s leading figure, Raila Odinga.
According to insiders, the action has polarized the opinion of both Sifuna’s supporters and critics, with some supporting him as the youthful voice for reform and others accusing him of being a divider.
The unfolding situation is in the middle of broader tensions, which have led to the public swapping of harsh words among other big names, including allegations of hypocrisy and lapses in discipline.
With the leadership of ODM now being publicly opposed, the party has to undergo an intensified internal struggle that would be a restructuring of the party ahead of the politically hot 2027 election cycle in Kenya.
The motion is passing through internal party processes, and the focus is on Oburu Odinga and the ODM National Executive Committee, whose reaction will likely decide whether the party will be able to manage the crisis or it will further break up.
