By Anderson Ojwang
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s blowing hot and cold over a broad-based arrangement is sending mixed signals that place him at a crossroads.
Raila is indeed fuelling an internal rebellion in the party due to his indecisiveness and contradictory statements, which have precipitated internal fragmentation.
For the ODM Secretary-General, Edwin Sifuna, the clock may be ticking, and he may just find himself following in the footsteps of former secretary-generals who read from different scripts than the party leadership and were unceremoniously shown the door.
The expected ODM National Delegates Conference (NDC) may become his Waterloo following the current backlash he is facing within the party over his stance on the broad-based arrangement.
Recently, during an NTV interview, Raila said he would support President William Ruto and the broad-based government up to 2027.
But just a few days later, in a Citizen TV interview, ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna criticised the broad-based government and dismissed President Ruto’s administration, claiming the memorandum of understanding between ODM and UDA was dead. At that point, Raila appeared to side with his SG.
Sifuna maintains that UDA has failed to implement the 10-point agenda agreed upon with ODM, adding that it is time the Orange party severed its links with the government.
The statement created a political storm in the party, and when Raila was in Kakamega for the party’s delegates’ meeting, he came to Sifuna’s defence, saying the SG was free to express himself and should not be vilified for exercising his constitutional rights.
Speaking in Kakamega, Raila defended Sifuna, stating that he has a right to express his opinion.
“It is not a must for people to have the same opinion, and we must defend the right to speak. If Sifuna has spoken, he has the right to do so, and if one feels they have a different opinion from what Sifuna is saying, then they should be free to say it. That is democracy,” Raila said.
This did not sit well with a section of Raila’s loyalists, including his elder brother Oburu Oginga, ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga, Leader of Minority in the Assembly Junet Mohammed, Chairperson of the Budget Committee Sam Atandi, among other party leaders.
Over the weekend, faced with an internal crisis, Raila announced that the party would hold a special meeting this week to resolve the emerging concerns.
“We are going to sit down as a party and discuss this issue. We are going to use the proper organs of the party to come up with a solution. What was said by Sifuna was a personal opinion. The ODM opinion as a party will come as a result of discussions within the party organs,” he said.
Oburu said, “When Raila talked in Kakamega, he said Sifuna also has rights to express his personal views. I also have my right to make my views. And my views are that the arrangements we have with the Kenya Kwanza government are arrangements which were mandated by the party ODM. If you are opposed to ODM and you want to bolt out, could you kindly put it officially to the party. I cannot accept for someone to abuse us. Can someone tell Sifuna to ask Ababu Namwamba, who was a powerful ODM Secretary-General, what happened to him. You are just a balloon.”
Wanga said, “I am the National Chairperson of ODM. Our leader is Raila, we know him and he has never lied to us. In March this year, we went to KICC and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a broad-based government. We are in a broad-based government, and as the National Chairperson, I want to say here, someone talking contrary to the party position is not talking on behalf of the party. He will need to explain to the party who has sent him.”
Junet Mohammed said, “I am the Minority Leader in Parliament. We are in a broad-based government. We don’t want confusion. We want development from this government. It is not time to make noise but to benefit from development. The party position on the MOU remains valid and the Central Committee is the organ that mandated the MOU. We agreed in the committee to sign the MOU. If you want the MOU dead, kindly bring it back to the Central Committee so that we can deliberate and declare it dead. We will not allow it to die. We cannot allow someone to remove us from the broad-based government through unorthodox means. Where do you want us to go? If you are tired, you are free to leave. At this moment, we are in a broad-based government.”
Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa said, “Raila is very clear on the broad-based government. His stand is that ODM is in a broad-based government. Sifuna’s remarks are personal and not the position of the party.”
“As Kakamega people and the Western region, we cannot be stupid to start singing a different tune from the one we have. We are in the government to secure developments. We are having Chavakali to Malinya Road tarmacked, the maintenance of Kakamega Airstrip is now on course, and many other projects, and our stand is that we are in the government to stay,” said Ikolomani MP Bernard Shinali.
Raila now finds himself at a crossroads and will have to bite the bullet on the broad-based government—whether to stick to his statement or side with Sifuna.
