Embattled ODM secretary general Edwin
Sifuna has signalled willingness to join the wider opposition in a bid to
derail President William Ruto’s 2027 reelection campaign.
The move has
rattled sections of his own party and reignited simmering tensions within ODM.
In a candid
interview on NTV on yesterday morning, the
Nairobi senator
declared that his Linda Mwananchi outfit and the emerging united opposition must
close ranks if they are to mount a credible challenge against the incumbent.
“We must
approach this election as a unit,” Sifuna said when asked about overtures from
opposition figures. “We must be one force against William Ruto. I want to
assure those who think that our movement is going to split the vote, that that
is not our intention.”
Sifuna framed
the 2027 contest not merely as a battle for State House but as a referendum on
Ruto’s leadership.
“There is a
general acceptance among Kenyans that we need an overwhelming repudiation of
William Ruto and everything he stands for. It has to be overwhelming. We must
beat William Ruto by at least five million votes,” he said.
His remarks
have been interpreted by critics within ODM as confirmation that his faction is
drifting away from the party’s traditional posture.
The backlash
was swift and sharp.
Homa Bay Town
MP Peter Kaluma accused Sifuna of having mentally exited ODM long
before the death of party leader Raila Odinga.
“Sifuna left
ODM long before Baba died,” Kaluma said, referring to the Nairobi senator’s long-standing opposition to the broad-based
government arrangement. “He [Sifuna] is a rank outsider mourning the
opportunity for political growth he has lost by leaving ODM for the enemy.”
Key figures
orbiting the Sifuna axis include Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and
Siaya Governor James Orengo.
Both have
maintained a critical stance toward the Kenya Kwanza administration and are
seen as sympathetic to calls for a consolidated opposition front.
Notably, when
pressed during the interview, Sifuna declined to state whether he intends to
vie for the presidency in 2027.
Instead, he
emphasised the need
for a decisive collective effort.
Using a
hunting analogy, Sifuna suggested that opposition unity need not mean
uniformity.
“When you go
hunting for an animal that is dangerous, you don’t all come from one
direction.”
The metaphor
hints at a coordinated but multi-pronged strategy — regional and political
fronts converging on a single objective: unseating the incumbent.
Observers say
this signals an inevitable parting of ways between Sifuna’s team and the
faction aligned with ODM leader Oburu
Oginga.
It also
clarifies the once-murky political alliances surrounding the Linda Mwananchi
team.
Several
leaders associated with Sifuna are known allies of prominent opposition
figures.
Kisii Senator
Richard Onyonka and Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi are linked to
former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.
They have been
part of the opposition campaigns in Gusii over the last two days.
Mavoko MP
Patrick Makau is an ally of Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, while blogger
Pauline Njoroge has long been associated with former President Uhuru
Kenyatta.
The team’s
branding — predominantly blue rather than ODM’s traditional orange — has
further fuelled speculation
about its political trajectory, despite members insisting they remain in the
party.
The prospect
of teaming up with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has
unsettled some ODM stalwarts.
Kileleshwa MCA
Robert Alai questioned the logic of aligning with leaders who were have all
along been adversaries of Raila.
“It is ironic
that they are doing this and asking us to work with Rigathi Gachagua, who
fought us during the high cost of living protests,” Alai said. “They need to
reveal their true intentions. Baba was clear that we don't follow sloganeering
leaders.”
Kaluma went
further, warning that “Gachagua men hiding among us” would be exposed at the
party’s National Delegates Convention slated for March.
Kakamega
Governor Ayub Savula said that Sifuna’s
team risks irrelevance if it formally joins the United Opposition.
“Realistically,
returning to ODM may be their only viable option. If they join the united
opposition, they risk playing second fiddle. The leading figures in that camp
are established presidential contenders with their own parties,” Savula said.
Despite the
criticism, groundwork for broader cooperation appears to be underway.
DAP-K
leader Eugene Wamalwa recently indicated openness to engaging
Sifuna’s faction.
For the ousted ODM secretary general, the gamble
is clear: that only a united, disciplined and numerically overwhelming
coalition can defeat an incumbent President
wielding the full machinery of the state.
“We are not
under any illusion that it is going to be easy [to beat Ruto on the ballot].
This guy has the state… we know we are up against a very wily politician. You
have to give him his flowers. He knows his stuff,” Sifuna said.
“All of us
must agree on a formula that will take this gentleman home.”
On the
government side, there is little public anxiety.
Deputy
President Kithure Kindiki, speaking during a tour of Mbeere South,
dismissed opposition manoeuvres.
“We are busy
working for the people. We cannot be compared with our opponents, who have
nothing to do but engage in idle talk,” Kindiki said.
Meanwhile,
President Ruto continues to crisscross the country, pushing his economic agenda
and consolidating support.
INSTANT
ANALYSIS
Sifuna has
thrown down the gauntlet. Whether others will rally behind his call for an
‘overwhelming repudiation’, as he calls it, remains to be seen. If he calls for a five-million-vote margin gains traction, the 2027
election could transform into a referendum-style battle pitting the government
versus a united front.