By Anderson Ojwang
On the first posthumous birthday of Raila Amolo Odinga, Mama Ida Odinga opened her heart and asked the party leadership not to kill the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Ida instead asked the party leadership to prioritise dialogue over wrangles to avoid disintegration and to preserve Raila’s legacy.
“It is my wish that we can preserve the party in his honour as a matter of service to our country. I want to appeal to those Baba left in the leadership of the party to reflect deeply and sincerely on his dreams for the party and for our country,” she said.
Ida said Raila always consulted on party matters and this provided room to find solutions to any emerging disputes in the party.
“Baba had a love for ODM. Baba ran ODM with dedication, firm and fair hands. Raila ran ODM on the principle of constant consultations and always referring to the people,” she said.
Ida challenged the current leaders in the party to give dialogue a chance and follow Raila’s footsteps in resolving disputes in the party.
“Let us support the problems of the party by always asking ourselves, what would Baba do under these circumstances?
I guess your guess is as good as mine. I am sure Baba would tell us, let us sit down and talk. And I am sure that is my wish, to sit down and talk our differences,” she said.
Ida, who spoke at her Karen home where she hosted legislators from Nairobi for Raila’s posthumous birthday, challenged the party leaders to ensure unity in the party.
Earlier, the party Secretary General, Edwin Sifuna, got a shot in the arm after the party leader, Dr Oburu Odinga, declared confidence in him.
Sifuna emerged victorious in a battle that had seen his critics, led by Migori Senator Eddy Oketch, petition the party organs to take disciplinary action against him over his stand on the broad-based alliance.
Oketch faced a barrage of criticism from party members and legislators led by Suba South MP Caroli Omondi, who told him the move was bound to fail.
Caroli wrote on his X handle, “Senator Eddy Oketch is once again the complainant against his colleague, Senator Edwin Sifuna, over allegations that have no legal legs to stand on. He will most certainly lose again should he continue with this misadventure. I have spoken to him directly and asked him to withdraw this letter, at least to save his reputation,”
On Wednesday at ODM headquarters, Oburu held a discussion with Sifuna, whom he described as espousing the party’s democratic ideals.
The move has steadied the turbulent waters in the party that was nearly capsizing the boat, which has been rocked by emerging divisions and coup plots.
“I met with my friend, Senator Edwin Sifuna, the Secretary General of the ODM Party, this morning. He remains a sober and principled voice, embodying the democratic ideals we believe in as a party,” he wrote on his X handle.
Oburu’s move has thawed a coup plot against Sifuna by a section of party leaders and Members of Parliament who wanted him kicked out of the party and from the Secretary General seat.
Oburu said the party was united and encouraged everyone to speak their mind, as that was the foundation on which the party was formed.
“We are one. We are united as the ODM Party.
As a leader, I believe we must encourage everyone to speak their mind. Differences of opinion do not mean division. Great parties—like ODM—grow through robust debate and unique challenges.
That is where the progress and continuity of our party truly lie: in the hands of our young people.
Sisi ni chama cha mapinduzi. Tuko imara,”he wrote.
Recently, a section of ODM legislators who were alarmed by self-cannibalism in the party requested Oburu to convene an urgent party meeting to contain the self-destructive situation.
The MPs, led by ODM Vice National Chairman Dr Otiende Amolo, said the wrangles in the party were worrying and a betrayal of the founder party leader, the late Raila Odinga.
They said ODM was the largest party in the country and were concerned by the spectacle of self-cannibalisation that has been exhibited of late in the party.
“It is testament to how much we miss the wisdom and iconic leadership of our departed Rt Hon Raila Odinga that divisive rhetoric has taken over our politics without restraint,” read the statement.
The statement, signed by Dr Otiende Amolo, Millie Odhiambo, MP Suba North, Tom Odege, MP Nyatike, Catherine Muma, Nominated MP, Dr John Ariko, MP Turkana South, Martin Owino, MP Ndhiwa, and Aduma Owuor, MP Nyakach, called for the convening of party organs to address the situation.
“It is for this reason that we request our party leader, Dr Oburu Odinga, to move with speed, convene the party’s organs and help restore public confidence in the party, before we begin to haemorrhage members to insignificant political formations,” they wrote.
They sounded the alarm that as the party continued in a self-destructive mode, some parties were cashing in on the opportunity to endear themselves to the electorate.
“Even as we appear to self-cannibalise, we can’t help but curiously observe that small parties are aggressively and strategically moving to occupy the spaces previously held by our beloved ODM party,” they said.
The reaction comes hot on the heels of a plot by a section of ODM leaders allied to National Chairperson Gladys Wanga and Director of Elections Junet Mohammed, who planned to kick out Secretary General Edwin Sifuna from the party.
Sifuna, at the weekend, dismissed any attempts to kick him out of the party, saying they had no capacity to eject him from the party.
Sifuna said the plot to remove him from the party was a result of his opposition to a move by a section of party officials and members to support President William Ruto for a second term.
Senator Ledama Ole Kina asked Sifuna to ship out and wrote on his X handle, “If you want to leave the ODM Party, go ahead—no one is stopping you. Don’t wait to be kicked out, because that’s exactly what will happen soon. Enough with empty threats—this noise is getting out of hand,”
Otiende called upon the party’s elected leadership and the wider membership to uphold the tenets of unity and camaraderie espoused by the late Raila Odinga.
“It is time to walk back on the rhetoric and come together to build a strong party ahead of next year’s elections,” they said.
The MPs also wanted Junet and Sifuna to stop their public exchanges, saying it was undermining party unity.
“Given the positions of trust bestowed on them, we urge party officials like Secretary General Senator Edwin Sifuna and National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed to desist from public verbal slurs and return to the table for internal discussions. We encourage the Party Leader to call for an internal ‘spitting session’ to avoid the ongoing mud-fest,” they said.
