By Anderson Ojwang

Siaya Governor James Orengo has claimed that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) did not sanction top party officials joining the government.

Orengo, in an interview, said the deputy party leaders Hassan Joho and Wycliff Oparanya, National Chairman John Mbadi and Director of Political Affairs Opiyo Wandayi joined President William Ruto’s cabinet in their own volition.

Orengo said the party leader, the late Raila Amolo Odinga, did not sanction the move and it was done behind his back.

Mbadi was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Treasury, Wandayi became the Energy Cabinet Secretary, Joho became Mining Cabinet Secretary while Oparanya was appointed to Cooperatives.

Orengo said there is no coalition agreement between ODM and UDA and no instrument has been formed for the two parties to engage in a coalition arrangement.

“Raila did not veto his top party officials to join the government. That was a personal decision and had no blessings of the party. ODM remains the opposition party,” he said.

ODM party leader Dr Oburu Oginga has maintained that he was the brain behind the formation of the broad-based government and chaired the meeting between President Ruto and Raila.

Dr Oburu revealed that the meeting which culminated in the appointments of ODM experts into President Ruto’s cabinet was chaired by him.

He negotiated for the cabinet slots and the 14 Permanent Secretaries slots.

“I have been the chairman of the meetings including the one which appointed Opiyo Wandayi, John Mbadi, Hassan Joho to the cabinet.
I want to tell you that we have currently 14 Permanent Secretaries in this government and directors. We got into this government by accident because the government was shaken by Gen Z,” he said.

He said the broad-based government was his pet baby and was meant to unite the country and has brought development in the country.

“Those who are saying Oburu does not talk are talking nonsense. In this broad-based arrangement, I want to assure those who are saying that it was only Raila who could handle it and that Oburu does not know anything about it.
I want to tell them that all the meetings of the broad-based arrangements with Ruto, the chairman has been Oburu Odinga before you here today,” he said.

Recently, Suba South MP Caroli Omondi sensationally claimed that Raila was betrayed while in Dubai over the formation of the broad-based government.

Caroli, in a recent TV interview, claimed that while Raila was in Dubai, some of his lieutenants joined the government without his blessings.

“Let me tell you, in the fullness of time, we will bring some things out that will surprise people. There are people who claim they are in the broad-based government because of Raila.
They went into the broad-based government against Raila’s wishes when he was in Dubai, when he directed that they should not join the broad-based arrangement. They know how they ended up there,” he said.

Caroli said Raila was infuriated and disappointed, and that when he returned to the country, he avoided some of those leaders.

“When Raila came back, he refused to even meet them at the airport. He got into the airside, got into his car, drove away and disappeared.
Raila issued a statement that they went in their personal capacity. People didn’t understand what Baba was saying,” he said.

Caroli said some of those leaders should not pretend and lie to the public that they were in good books with Raila before his death and should be honest about their relationship.

“Some of them, by the time Baba was dying, they were not on talking terms. When they are talking to us, they should know that we are not stupid. There is a way they should talk to us.
They should not talk to us with useless statements that we are in the broad-based government for development. I am asking them, yes, it is true, what development has been taken to Luo land under this broad-based arrangement under Sh50b, Sh50m cumulatively added by none other than the Chairman of Budget at the Assembly, Sam Atandi, while one hospital is being built in Uasin Gishu at Sh50b?” he said.

Caroli expressed concern that Raila’s pet project, the Sondu-Koin Dam valued at Sh25 billion, has stalled and nobody is following it up.

“Baba’s pet project was Sondu-Koin Dam, which is Sh25b. That is what he wanted the broad-based government to do, but it has not been done. Nobody is pursuing it.
We are being told about development while the contractor doing my roads has three pending certificates. The CS John Mbadi for Treasury is from my constituency. Why can’t they pay the bills so that the works can go on smoothly? You cannot take a whole community for a ride simply because of small handouts,” he said.

By Anderson Ojwang

Old habits and dirty tricks in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) have returned after the party leader Dr Oburu Oginga ordered the cancellation of Kisumu County elections, fearing his allies were likely to lose to the opponents.

Oburu directed the party’s National Election Coordination Committee to cancel the elections over what he termed the prevailing polarization informed by intelligence.

With hours to Friday elections, Oburu wrote to the National Chairperson Emily Awinja to postpone the election over what he termed as the prevailing polarized environment informed by intelligence.

He wrote “Following the prevailing polarized environment informed by intelligence, I have made a decision to inform you to cancel the elections slated for tomorrow Friday 6th 2026. Kindly comply and inform the concerned parties,” signed by Dr Oburu Oginga.

The move by Oburu could be a tip of the ice of what may be awaiting aspirants for the various elective seats in 2027 who intend to run on the ODM ticket. ODM has for decades failed to conduct transparent nominations with the leadership taking shambolic nominations or dishing out direct tickets.

A sharp division had emerged in the county election with Oburu supporting the current chairman Paul Akeyo, who had failed to garner any meaningful support from the delegates.

ODM National Chairperson, Governor Gladys Wanga and Kisumu Woman Rep Rosa Buyu were supporting Seth Ochieng Kanga alias Adui Nyang against the delegates’ favourite, Thomas Opande.

Sources told the writer that Oburu had telephoned the candidates with a view to build consensus and support Akeyo as the county chairman while Adui was to become the vice, while Opande was to be relegated to the periphery.

He was seen as an outsider and not part of the political matrix in the party, who could not be trusted to lead the party in Kisumu.

The sources revealed that after Oburu failed to prevail over the candidates he opted to cancel the elections in order to strategize.

In Kisumu, the battle over the delegates went a notch higher after the leading candidate, Opande, secured most of the delegates and hosted them for an overnight strategy meeting in Kisumu town.

“It is an unfortunate decision. I can tell you Opande was winning the elections. We spent a night together planning on how to win. We have the delegates and nothing will stop Opande from winning,” said one of the delegates.

The party grassroots elections have been marred by interferences by the national officials and controversy over the sub-branch elections.

Recently, Nyando MP Jared Okello sued the party, NECC Chairperson Awinja and Kenneth Ooko over the branch leadership at the Political Parties Tribunal Court.

Okello recently hosted Dr Oburu at his home where he bragged to the electorate as having been the one who sponsored the motion for sacking of the ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna during the recent National Governing Council (NEC).

Oburu at the function said Okello has been a good family friend and that he has been visiting him both at his rural and Nairobi homes.

Okello and three others sued ODM, Ahero MCA Kenneth Ooko, East Kano/Wawidhi MCA Moses Ochele and the National Election Coordination Committee Chairperson Emily Awiti, accusing the committee of unlawfully taking over the harmonization.

Okello through his lawyer argued that on 24th February, 2026, and to the utter dismay, the Chairperson National Election Coordination Committee (NECC) Ms Hon Emily Awitta proceeded with the unlawful meeting ex parte and in the absence of the applicants and issued a determination in favour of Ooko and Ochele.

They said by the Committee accepting the list presented by the 2nd and 3rd Respondents as the valid list for Nyando Sub-County Branch delegates was a traverse of justice.

Okello argued that on the following day, on 25th February 2026, the Chairperson National Election Coordination Committee (NECC) Ms Hon Emily Awitta put a Notice by the NECC announcing that it will conduct the County Delegates elections for Kisumu County on Friday 6th March 2026 from 9am until 12.00pm.

“The Complainants accused ODM and the Chairperson of the National Election Coordination Committee for having ignored the fact that Nyando Constituency have Five (5) Wards, represented by Five Members of the County Assembly of Kisumu,” they argued.

Okello through his lawyer argued that each Member of County Assembly is an elected representative of his or her area and only two members representing two wards were part of the alleged harmonization meeting.

That the majority of the three wards representing 60% in Nyando Constituency were disenfranchised and locked out of the negotiation and or the harmonization process.

They argued that the actions of Awitta were unlawful, unprocedural, discriminatory and disenfranchising to a majority of the ODM members in Nyando Constituency.

They argued that they have not only been prejudiced and disenfranchised by the actions of NECC but also their rights to participate in elections and affairs of the ODM party have been grossly violated contrary to the protection of Article 38 of the Constitution.

The decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party to appoint a new Harmonization Sub-Committee in their view was premised on the Principle of the Rules of Natural Justice to the effect that the National Election Coordination Committee (NECC) could not sit as an arbiter over a dispute whose outcome they presided over having been the organiser and the referee for the Nyando Constituency grassroots party elections.

On March 2, 2026, the Tribunal issued the order suspending the implementation of the February 24, 2026 decision by the ODM National Election Coordinating Committee pending the hearing and determination of the dispute.

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.