By Anderson Ojwang’
At the ODM anniversary in Mombasa, Secretary General Edwin Sifuna pulled a fast one on the new leadership and conducted what could be termed a “bloodless coup.”
It was a sweet last laugh for Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who had lately become a passenger in the party and relegated to whining and mourning. And yesterday, facing the Indian Ocean, Babu beat the drums of war, inviting his opponents to a duel.
Sifuna, on the microphone, caught the rightist wing led by the new party leader Dr. Oburu Oginga and the national chairperson and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga napping, nervy, and deflated.
Sifuna, as the SG, pulled the rug from under the feet of the right wing to invite Embakasi East MP Babu Owino to address the gathering, even though he was not listed as one of the speakers and had not been in Mombasa on Thursday and Friday.
“Mheshimiwa Babu Owino, kuja bwana. Yesterday, Honorable Babu Owino, we had the youth league conference here in Mombasa. They were not happy because they did not see you there. I rang you and instructed that you be in Mombasa this morning. I promised the youths that you would be here today. To show you I have done the work you tasked me to do, let Babu greet you for a minute and be respectful,” he said. And the bloodless coup saw Babu in his majestic nature walk to the podium.
Babu didn’t mince his disgust at the failure to be appointed to any of the party positions that were filled on Friday and wondered why he was not considered.
He equally beat the drums of war, saying that he too was qualified to be party leader and that without him ODM could run into trouble.
“Yesterday, I saw our leaders from ODM appointed to various positions. Congratulations. But allow me to ask, my leaders: you looked at Babu Owino and saw him not worth any seat? You people need to think about that. Youth leader Dr. Oburu Odinga, I respect you, but in the near future, even Babu Owino is fit to be the party leader. We say it is Babu because he has solutions. Bila Babu ni tabu,” he said.
Oburu recently met with Babu to calm the storm after he claimed the party would not give him the ODM ticket and preferred the incumbent Johnson Sakaja.
Sifuna and Babu, the leftists in the party and viewed as the chief opposition to the broad-based government, are seen as antagonists and have been under pressure from the rightists.
Babu, even before the demise of Raila Odinga, had declared support for Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka for the presidency.
Sifuna, at the burial of Raila in Bondo last month, had warned that there should be no misinformation over Raila’s future political preference in the coalition.
Sifuna had questioned the legitimacy of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) underpinning the deal, raising concerns over its implementation and transparency.
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma has demanded the resignation or removal of Nairobi Senator and ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna for what he claims is fueling confusion within the party.
“He must resign or be thrown out of the ODM party. The faster this happens, the better,” Kaluma said in a statement posted on his X account in a previous post.
Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, a close ally of Raila Odinga, dismissed Sifuna’s sentiments, insisting the senator does not speak on behalf of the party.
The newly appointed coordinator of the Protest Victims Compensation Plan, Makau Mutua, had called on Sifuna to resign from his position as ODM Secretary General, describing his current position as untenable within the party structure.
In a statement posted on his X account on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, Mutua suggested that resignation would be the principled course of action for Sifuna given his current circumstances.
“My good learned friend and Senator Edwin Sifuna appears to be in an untenable position as SG of the ODM party,” Mutua stated.
Former ODM Deputy Party Leader and Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho did not take Babu’s sentiments lying low and gave a harsh rebuttal.
“Do not be threatened and scared by people who don’t speak on behalf of the party. Not everybody should be a spokesman. We have leaders. If you look at Gladys Wanga, is she a person to be threatened and scared? What about Dr. Oburu? Who are you to speak if these leaders have not spoken? You must also understand that Baba loved all of us, from the Coast to the Lake. He accommodated us and listened to our views, and that is why we loved him. You cannot force us to love someone. We only love the lovable,” he said.
Siaya Governor James Orengo said there is nowhere ODM can plead with Ruto because the President needs ODM most.
Ruto, at the funeral, had pledged that he would not allow ODM to die or be taken away by some people for selfish gain.
As the celebration came to a close, with the war drums on, the rightist wing must go back to the drawing board to contain the leftists, who seem to be ahead in the game.
