By Anderson Ojwang
The dice is cast and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) could be witnessing imminent political departures by either the Linda Ground or the Linda Mwanainchi.
The battle lines have been drawn and every group is playing their cards close to the chest and making calculated and timely moves to outsmart one another.
Currently, the Linda Ground of the party leader Dr Oburu Oginga is riding high and calling the shots, but above and beneath the political surface, it is faced with unknown obstacles which may soon rear their ugly face and ground it to a halt.
While Linda Mwanainchi of Party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, Embakasi MP Babu Owino and Siaya Governor James Orengo have received huge ratings from the masses, they are limping over lack of the party machinery. The faction did not attend Tuesday’s Parliamentary Group meeting and instead chose to condole with the family of Dikir MP Johana Ngemo.
At the PG, chaired by Oburu, a section of the Linda Mwanainchi group attended, in what could be viewed as a technical and tactical move as they plan to roll out the next course of their political agenda.
Oburu posted on his social media platform about the meeting and the various decisions the party arrived at.
“This afternoon I held an ODM Parliamentary Group meeting at Parliament Buildings. As a party we have officially resolved to commence pre-coalition negotiations with UDA.
Our primary focus will be championing the implementation of fundamental issues affecting Kenyans, specifically those outlined in the NADCO report.
Furthermore, we are committed to ensuring Parliament allocates the necessary budget to address these priorities, with a particular emphasis on compensating victims of demonstrations.”
And the Minority Leader in the Assembly Junet Mohammed read out the party resolutions, where it approved and upheld all the recent decisions taken by the Central Committee and the National Governing Council.
“We have held an ODM Party Joint Parliamentary Group Meeting presided over by Party Leader Hon. Dr Oburu Odinga, EGH, MP.
After frank deliberations, members approved and upheld all recent decisions taken by the Central Committee and the National Executive Committee,” he said.
The PG endorsed the decision by the emergency NEC meeting to install Hon. Dr Oburu Oginga as Party Leader and also the decision by the National Executive Committee to suspend Hon. Edwin Sifuna as Secretary General.
Junet said the PG endorsed the decision by the Central Committee to support the ongoing working arrangement between ODM and the UDA parties under the Broad-based Government arrangement, and supported the decision that mandated the party to engage in structured negotiations with UDA and any other like-minded party for purposes of forming a coalition ahead of the 2027 election.
“The PG approved the decision by the relevant party organs to pursue compensation for victims of past election-related human rights abuses, and that the PG undertook to work with partners and pursue alternative mechanisms for the matter to be acted on urgently and conclusively,” he said.
Junet said the PG endorsed the decision by the relevant party organs for the party to pull out of Azimio and the decision by the NEC to convene a Special National Delegates Convention on March 27, 2027.
“The PG agreed to hold a joint PG with the UDA next Tuesday at which the MPs will receive a briefing on the implementation status of the 10-point agenda, and mandated the Party Leader to begin internal processes, including modalities and representation for the upcoming coalition negotiations with the UDA Party and other like-minded parties,” he said.
But the Deputy Party Leader Godfrey Osotsi at the meeting said the party was at a critical crossroads that called for urgent address of internal divisions.
“I warned my colleagues that the party was meeting at a time when it is heavily divided, a situation I described as dangerous to its unity and future prospects.
I reminded members of party leader Raila Odinga’s famous words, “Who told you?”, urging colleagues to use the phrase as a rallying call for unity and resolve,” he said.
He challenged the party to adopt a bold political posture ahead of the next General Election, arguing that ODM is strong enough to field a presidential candidate instead of angling for the position of Deputy President.
“ODM is a national movement with a solid support base. We should not diminish ourselves by settling for lesser positions,” Osotsi said.
Osotsi raised concerns over the ten-point agenda signed in March last year between ODM and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), noting that the agreement has not been implemented as expected.
He pointed out that the deadline for the implementation of the agenda is Saturday, March 7, 2026, cautioning proponents of the two-term narrative to be mindful of the timelines and commitments contained in the agreement.
Removal of Edwin Sifuna
Osotsi said the move to remove Sifuna was an attempt to sideline leaders with divergent views and was deepening divisions within the party.
He called for an urgent review of the decision, arguing that ODM has historically thrived on robust internal debate and tolerance of differing opinions.
“Silencing alternative voices weakens us. If we are to remain strong and united, we must accommodate diversity of thought and prioritize fairness,” Osotsi stated.
Orengo could plot a killer pass on the Oburu team, who he said has never been part of the struggle and the reason why Raila became the heir to the throne.
