{"id":127819,"date":"2026-01-04T07:06:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T07:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/sifuna-defies-odm-expulsion-threats-amid-onslaught-by-pro-govt-faction\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T07:06:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T07:06:32","slug":"sifuna-defies-odm-expulsion-threats-amid-onslaught-by-pro-govt-faction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/sifuna-defies-odm-expulsion-threats-amid-onslaught-by-pro-govt-faction\/","title":{"rendered":"Sifuna defies ODM expulsion threats amid onslaught by pro-govt faction"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 4 \u2014 Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has dismissed growing calls for his removal as ODM Secretary General, insisting that no individual or faction has the authority to kick him out as internal divisions widen following the death of party leader Raila Odinga.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sifuna\u2019s defiant stance comes amid rising tensions within ODM, with a section of party leaders accusing him of undermining unity over his opposition to the broad-based government arrangement between President William Ruto and the late Raila.<\/p>\n

Critics argue that Sifuna\u2019s outspoken criticism of the deal has put him at odds with senior ODM figures who favour continued cooperation with the Kenya Kwanza administration.<\/p>\n

Dismissing what he termed intimidation attempts, Sifuna maintained that his critics lacked the mandate to discipline or expel him from the party.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do not scare me. I want to assure Gachagua that no one has the power to kick me out of the ODM party. You can relax,\u201d Sifuna said while attending the burial ceremony of the late Alice Wangari Gakuya, mother of Embakasi North MP James Gakuya, at Makomboki Primary School in Kigumo, Murang\u2019a County.<\/p>\n

2022 campaign funds<\/h2>\n

Addressing the controversy, Sifuna launched a blistering attack on his detractors, reviving debate over the management of campaign funds during the 2022 General Election and ODM\u2019s post-election direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe funds that we in ODM used for our campaigns largely came from former President Uhuru Kenyatta. He supported us in every possible way,\u201d Sifuna said, accusing National Assembly Minority Leader and Suna East MP Junet Mohamed of mismanaging resources that could have bolstered Raila Odinga\u2019s presidential bid.<\/p>\n

Junet says Uhuru, Muhoho mismanaged hiring of Raila agents<\/a><\/p>\n

Junet says Raila struggled to access Muhoho for campaign funds<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is now someone foolish enough to claim there is something wrong with Uhuru Kenyatta\u2019s money. I would like to ask Junet: when exactly did Uhuru\u2019s money become bad? When you were receiving it, which portion did you fail to remit to the party and instead spend with your wives?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sifuna argued that renewed scrutiny of the 2022 campaign finances was overdue and said the ongoing debate should pave the way for a full audit of the election.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we begin the audit of the 2022 elections, it is a good thing that this debate has been revived. Everyone should openly state what they did in 2022,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He accused Junet of failing to pay election agents, claiming the lapse cost ODM victory at the polls.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou spent Uhuru\u2019s money instead of paying agents, allowing Rigathi Gachagua\u2019s side to defeat us. Today, we regret that if it were not for you, Junet, we would be leading this country,\u201d Sifuna said.<\/p>\n

Sifuna also reaffirmed ODM\u2019s long-held opposition stance, insisting that Raila never instructed party members to support President Ruto in the 2027 General Election.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has never been a day when Baba told us to support President William Ruto in 2027,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRaila told me clearly that Ruto must go home in 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n

His remarks mirror sentiments expressed by Siaya Governor James Orengo, who on November 15 dismissed as \u201cidiotic\u201d proposals by ODM leaders serving in Ruto\u2019s Cabinet to formalise a political alliance with the President.<\/p>\n

Speaking during ODM anniversary celebrations in Mombasa, Orengo warned that such efforts risk erasing the party\u2019s identity and betraying its founding values.<\/p>\n

\u201cRuto needs ODM, not the other way round,\u201d Orengo said, urging the party to field its own presidential candidate in 2027.<\/p>\n

In contrast, ODM Party Leader Oburu Odinga has vowed to lead the party into government in 2027, saying ODM will either contest alone or enter coalitions that guarantee power-sharing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing like forming a party to be in the opposition,\u201d Oburu said after his ratification by the National Governing Council on November 13.<\/p>\n

Raila\u2019s daughter, EALA MP Winnie Odinga, has also called for a National Delegates Convention to chart the party\u2019s future, describing ODM\u2019s role in the broad-based government as \u201ccomplicated\u201d and in need of a fresh mandate from members.<\/p>\n

The divisions are reflected in public opinion.<\/p>\n

A TIFA Research survey released on December 23 showed ODM grappling with weakened internal cohesion, despite remaining Kenya\u2019s most popular party at 20 per cent, ahead of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) at 16 per cent.<\/p>\n

The poll revealed sharp splits among ODM supporters over whether the party should return fully to opposition or remain aligned with the government, alongside strong resistance to backing President Ruto in 2027.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 4 \u2014 Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has dismissed growing calls for his removal as ODM Secretary General, insisting that no individual or faction has the authority to kick him out as internal divisions widen following the death of party leader Raila Odinga. Sifuna\u2019s defiant stance comes amid rising tensions within ODM, with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127819\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}