NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 8 – ODM Senator Edwin Sifuna’s recent remarks on his tenure as Secretary-General of the 21-year-old party have left supporters wondering whether he is resigning himself to the possibility that his ouster is inevitable.
Speaking during a public engagement in Kaiti Constituency, Sifuna told attendees that he holds the unrivalled honour of being the last loyal Secretary-General to serve under ODM founder, the late Raila Odinga.
“Ata wakinitoa kama SG, Baba hatawai kuwa na katibu mwingine. Mimi ndio wa mwisho,” he said.
(They are trying to oust Baba’s (Raila) Secretary-General. But even if they succeed, let them know Baba will never have another SG. I was his last SG.)
Since its inception in 2005, ODM has had three Secretaries-General: Anyang’ Nyong’o, Ababu Namwamba and Sifuna.
An ODM National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in February resolved to remove Sifuna from his powerful position as Secretary-General during a sitting held in Mombasa.
However, Sifuna and several high-profile ODM leaders, including Siaya Governor James Orengo, have publicly rejected the removal as unconstitutional and procedurally flawed, saying it violated party rules on how top officials can be ousted.
Sifuna challenged the resolution at the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT), arguing that the decision blindsided key party organs and was executed without adequate consultation as required by the party’s constitution.
The PPDT issued an order preventing ODM from executing the removal and stopping the Registrar of Political Parties from publishing the decision in the Kenya Gazette, effectively blocking the ouster pending a full hearing.
The order was later extended to Thursday, March 12, 2026, offering Sifuna a temporary reprieve as the dispute plays out in the legal arena.
However, Deputy Secretary-General Catherine Omwanyo threw a fresh spanner in the works by issuing a notice convening a Special National Delegates Conference which, among other agenda items, will ratify the contested NEC decision to eject Sifuna.
