Cracks in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) continue to gain momentum after the party’s county chairpersons backed the removal of Nairobi County Senator Edwin Sifuna as ODM’s Secretary General.
This follows a meeting held in Nairobi, convening ODM’s Caucus of County Chairpersons (CoCC) to deliberate on issues touching on the party and the country.
The meeting was held under the leadership of the chairperson of the caucus Fernandes Barasa who is the Governor of the County of Kakamega. Acting Secretary General Catherine Omanyo and the Member of Parliament for Dagoretti North Constituency Beatrice Elachi were also present.
In a statement, the chairpersons expressed support for the party’s leadership under Oburu Oginga even as the 2027 general election approaches.
“The caucus recognises the importance of strong, effective and active leadership of the party. In this regard, we fully support the leadership of Senator Oburu Oginga as the party leader of this movement. We commit to accord him maximum support in his quest to stabilise, steady and make the party bigger, stronger and better as we head into the 2027 general election.”
On the other hand, Oginga made a virtual address to the chairpersons, urging them to champion the party’s ideals and values to the members and the people in their respective counties.
On February 11, 2026, the ODM National Executive Committee (NEC) ousted Nairobi County Senator Edwin Sifuna as Secretary General for gross misconduct and appointed Catherine Omanyo as acting Secretary General.
However, Sifuna refuted his removal emphasizing that he still was ODM’s Secretary General.
Divisions in the ODM party
Divisions have been evident in ODM following the death of its party leader Raila Odinga in 2025 with one section supporting the current party leader Oburu Oginga and another Governor Sifuna.
In the meeting held in Nairobi, the party’s Caucus of County Chairpersons (CoCC) expressed continued support for the party’s leader as he engages with other political parties in the country for possible pre-election coalitions.
“We believe in a stronger movement for better negotiations and we shall work round the clock to strengthen, revitalise and expand our party in our respective counties to give our party leader the energy and support to engage in the negotiations with like-minded parties beginning with our broad-based partner, the UDA party,” the statement added.
Additionally, the chairpersons stressed their commitment to the party’s ideology, values, mission and agenda in honor of the late Raila Odinga.
“We shall work tirelessly to ensure that we make our party stronger and prosperous just like our fallen Party Leader Raila Odinga wanted it to be. We shall not let him down. We never let him down in life and we shall not fail him in death. His spirit will continue to guide us.”
ODM’s upcoming National Delegates Convention (NDC)
Even as divisions in ODM continue, its members and the nation at large continue to watch the events unfold as the party’s National Delegates Convention (NDC) is slated for March 27, 2026.
Sifuna has held rallies in Busia, Kitengela, and Amalemba which have drawn crowds of citizens supporting his political position. His arm of ODM includes Siaya County Governor James Orengo and Member of Parliament for Embakasi East Constituency Babu Owino.
As the political environment in Kenya gears up for the 2027 general elections, it remains to be seen how ODM’s delegates convention will unfold. Kenyans are also on the lookout for how different political parties in the country will work towards the much-anticipated elections next year.
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