ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna skipped another high-level party meeting on February 11, 2026, in Mombasa, raising questions about the growing internal divisions within the Orange Democratic Movement.
The National Executive Committee (NEC) session, chaired by party leader Oburu Oginga, was intended to address leadership issues and the debate over potential cooperation with President William Ruto’s UDA ahead of the 2027 elections.
Instead of attending, Sifuna was in Nairobi participating in a Senate Energy Committee stakeholders’ forum, a move that has intensified speculation about factionalism within the party.
During the Mombasa meeting, Oburu Oginga announced that ODM had effectively exited the Azimio coalition, emphasizing that the formalization of the exit was procedural following the party’s earlier withdrawal.
The session also confirmed the removal of Saboti MP Caleb Amisi from the NEC after he assumed a county chairmanship role. Amisi disputed the process, claiming proper procedure was not followed and insisting that removal requires a fair hearing.
Deepening Divisions
ODM appears split between factions with differing strategies for 2027:
Oburu-aligned faction: Open to broad-based cooperation with UDA.
Sifuna-aligned faction: Advocates for ODM to maintain independence and field its own presidential candidate.
Treasury CS John Mbadi publicly criticized Sifuna, questioning his loyalty, while Sifuna defended himself, insisting he remains committed to justice and ODM’s founding principles.
With the 2027 elections approaching, ODM’s internal decisions on alliances and leadership cohesion could significantly influence Kenya’s political landscape.
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