Sifuna-led group revives 1990s Young Turks spirit

The Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna-led ODM faction is today set to hold its much-anticipated rally in Kitengela to pile more pressure on President William Ruto's administration and his broad-based government partners.

More worrying for other political players is the threat of this new group emerging as a serious force, complicating the political matrix for Ruto.

Apart from Sifuna, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino is also gaining a lot of traction among the youth, together with EALA MP Winnie Odinga, who recently held a big rally at Kamukunji Grounds in Kibera.

In what will be the faction's first major rally since the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party’s National Executive Committee attempted to oust Sifuna, they are expected to mobilise support from the masses to force a collapse of the looming coalition talks with UDA while convincing their supporters of the need to inject new blood into the party leadership.

The group of youthful leaders is expected to address what ails the country, such as the high cost of living, corruption and what they call empty rhetoric.

The rally, which is part of their wider Linda Mwananchi tours, comes at a time when Sifuna has received massive endorsement from Kenyans over his bold stance against President Ruto's interference in the operations of ODM.

Ever since his attempted ouster, hashtags such as #StandWithSifuna and #IAmSifuna have dominated social media, projecting the country’s yearning for fresh, principled and just leadership.

So overwhelming has the support for Sifuna been that pundits argue the wars within ODM are working to his advantage.

“There is a generational shift in the political landscape and Sifuna represents that shift across the board, not just within ODM. To some extent, he represents the late Tom Mboya… he’s articulate, impressionable and knows his game. By Ruto and allies going after him, they have only helped him become a political force,” says History and Governance Prof Macharia Munene.

“Sifuna is somebody to watch, not necessarily in the 2027 elections, but whoever he and his allies support will get considerable mileage… No one can fill Raila’s shoes, but those who come close, such as Governors Orengo and Anyang Nyong’o, are handing over the leadership torch to Sifuna,” he adds.

The ongoing internal wrangles within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, which saw Secretary General Edwin Sifuna briefly edged out of the party, have created three distinct factions.

But it is the group of mostly youthful politicians that is turning heads across the country.

These young ODM leaders, largely from Western, and like-minded colleagues from Kisii, Ukambani and the Coast regions, have come out guns blazing in support of the Nairobi Senator.

Despite Sifuna being Nairobi Senator, Bungoma residents, where he hails from, have already held protests castigating the ODM party for removing him from his position, warning that they would resign from the party and at the same time asking Sifuna to register a party.

Leaders from the voter-rich region who were sponsored to Parliament through the ODM party maintain that their support for the party would lose its meaning if Sifuna was ousted from his position.

And in what could reduce the arguably largest party with structures in Kenya to a Luo Nyanza party, leaders elected on ODM tickets from the Gusii community have also joined Sifuna’s faction to oppose the current leadership structure in ODM as well as any talks with Ruto for a possible political alliance.

The Sifuna faction includes Wamboka Wanami (Bumula Constituency), Raphael Wajala (Budalangi), Majimbo Kalasinga (Kabuchai), Danson Mwashako (Wundanyi), Wilberforce Oundo (Funyula), Barongo Obadia (Bomachoge Borabu), Gisairo Clive (Kitutu Masaba), Anthony Kibagendi (Kitutu Chache South), Okong'o O'mogeni (Nyamira Senator) and Caleb Amisi (Saboti).

Other leaders in the camp include Governor James Orengo (Siaya), MPs Caroli Omondi (Suba South), Patrick Makau (Mavoko), Joshua Kimilu (Kaiti) and politician Brian Weke.

The group has since established Linda Mwananchi tours to counter the Oburu-Wanga-led Linda Ground tours.

Politicians and analysts interviewed believe that the current wrangles will reduce the party’s bargaining power, as the party will only have a say in the Luo Nyanza region.

According to Orengo, there was a scheme by the government to ethnicise the party so that it would be weak, and when they sit at the bargaining table, they will not have a strong voice to negotiate.

Terming the move a sad state of affairs, Orengo maintained that Raila had worked hard to build the party into a national outfit.

"ODM is found more or less in every region. That's what Raila did. He tried to build a national party, which is ODM. I see an attempt to drive it into purely a Luo party," he noted.

He added: “If we choose to work with UDA, ODM is going to be a small party. It will be pushed back to a regional or Luo Nyanza party, which it is not. If we are not careful, it will be driven in that direction.”

On his part, Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo said the move by ODM to remove Sifuna would have far-reaching consequences, as leaders from Western would ditch the party they have supported for a long time.

“I can assure you, ODM will regret forever. This is how they will never be part of government,” he noted.

He stated that ODM’s spread in the country has largely been driven by goodwill from regions including Nyanza, Western, the Coast and Nairobi.

“Without Sifuna, what is left of ODM? We are going to see more of this. There are bigger forces within ODM which do not support UDA, and for good reasons,” Maanzo said, while stressing that ODM’s collaboration with UDA would undermine the ideological foundation upon which ODM was built.

Political analyst John Wanyonyi, in an interview, said: “ODM influence in Western region will diminish following the removal of Edwin Sifuna as Secretary General. The reason why Raila Odinga didn't expel him is because of the value he possesses.

He said, unlike other leaders who relied on Raila for survival, Sifuna brought value to the party, but with his removal, ‘ODM will now remain with Luo Nyanza and Coast regions as its strongholds.’

A section of Coast leaders led by Mining and Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho have also threatened to ditch the party if Joho is not given a national leadership position in the upcoming National Delegates Conference slated for next month.

Wanyonyi believes this could be Ruto’s strategy to reduce ODM’s bargaining power to enable him to balance significant positions such as the running mate post, which may be reserved for Mt Kenya in order to get votes from that region.

Sifuna’s faction represents a group opposed to early coalition talks with UDA, insisting that the party maintain its independence and prepare to field its own candidates.

“The Linda Mwananchi Tour is about talking to Kenyans directly. Raila raised leaders who stand for justice, not cowards. We fight to keep Baba’s courage alive,” Sifuna said.

The cracks that the troubled Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is experiencing have divided the party into three: the Odinga family, the young Turks against the old guard, and between Luo Nyanza and the Western region.

While the late Raila Odinga’s elder brother, Oburu Odinga, the current ODM party leader, has joined hands with the likes of Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga to push for coalition talks with President William Ruto’s administration, his sister Ruth Odinga and Raila’s daughter Winnie Odinga are of a contrary opinion.

The Oburu-Wanga faction comprises the old guard who are fighting for the status quo, while the youngsters led by the embattled Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino are pushing for change within the party as they challenge coalition talks with the Kenya Kwanza administration.

The 20-year-old party, whose fortunes started dwindling after the death of its visionary leader, Raila, on October 15, 2025, was deemed to be a national party with a dominant presence in the larger Nyanza and Western regions.

Other regions like Gusii have also in the past voted in one basket, giving the late Raila over six million votes, alongside other regions such as the Coast and Maa communities.

The Oburu faction, or the Linda Ground initiative, is largely seen as rallying ODM supporters to back the ODM-UDA talks for the party to capture power and secure its share in the next government while eyeing the Deputy President post among other Cabinet positions.

“We are eyeing the Deputy President post, more Cabinet positions and power. We want our share that for too long has been denied,” Oburu said during a recent Linda Ground tour.