NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 8 – Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino has called on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to convene a National Delegates Convention (NDC), saying the party must allow for leadership transition and chart a new direction.
In a statement shared on his social media platforms, Owino said it was time for ODM to open space for new leadership, arguing that the party needed renewal.
“We want ODM to call an NDC. It is time to take over the party leadership,” he said.
Owino made the remarks while sharing a photo from a meeting attended by ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, National Assembly Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo, Siaya Senator James Orengo, former Attorney General Amos Wako, and legislators Ruth Odinga, Catherine Mumma, and Crystal Asige.
The lawmaker has recently stated publicly that he intends to seek a senior leadership position within the party following the death of ODM founder Raila Odinga in October 2025.
The ODM leadership has yet to formally respond to Owino’s remarks.
However, Millie Odhiambo suggested on social media that the meeting was part of ongoing efforts to promote unity within the party’s top ranks.
“Gather all. Scatter none,” she wrote on her Facebook caption.
ODM is currently grappling with internal divisions, with two factions emerging over whether the party should support President William Ruto’s re-election bid.
One faction, allied to Owino and Sifuna, argues that ODM should exit the broad-based government and focus on preparations for the 2027 General Election to challenge President Ruto.
Sifuna believes the 2027 election presents ODM with its best chance to win the presidency after years of unsuccessful attempts under the late Raila Odinga.
The opposing faction—led by Party Leader Oburu Odinga, ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga, National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, and several leaders from Luo Nyanza—is advocating for negotiations with President Ruto to form a mega coalition. The group argues such an alliance could secure ODM significant representation in a potential Ruto administration after 2027.
The party has recently been rocked by heated internal disputes, with disagreements degenerating into name-calling and sharp accusations over who bears responsibility for Raila Odinga’s unsuccessful presidential bids.
An attempt to oust Secretary General Edwin Sifuna was halted on Tuesday after Migori Senator Eddy Aketch proposed dialogue as a way forward.
Mama Ida Odinga, the widow of the late ODM founder Raila Odinga, was forced to intervene, urging the feuding factions to embrace dialogue to avert a potential split.
Speaking during a tribute event marking what would have been Raila’s 81st birthday, Ida expressed concern that the ongoing mudslinging among senior party leaders risked undermining ODM’s 20-year legacy as a people-centred party.
She noted that her late husband consistently sought dialogue—even with perceived adversaries—for the greater good of society, and warned that the current infighting betrayed the trust he placed in the party’s leadership.
“I want to appeal to those Baba left in the leadership of the party to reflect deeply and sincerely on his dreams for the party and for our country,” she said.
“Let us solve the problems of the party by always asking ourselves: what would Baba do under these circumstances? I am sure Baba would tell us, let us sit down and talk. That is my wish—to sit down and talk about our differences.”