Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Chief Executive Officer Oduor Ong’wen has come to the defence of Secretary General Edwin Sifuna amid growing internal criticism and speculation of plans to remove him from the party’s leadership.
Ong’wen, speaking on Wednesday, dismissed claims of a plot to oust Sifuna, clarifying that no formal petition or complaint has been lodged within ODM structures. He reaffirmed that Sifuna remains the party’s official spokesperson and is fully mandated to articulate its positions on key national issues.
“Sifuna speaks for the party, and he is also entitled to his personal views. That is the essence of democracy,” Ong’wen stated, emphasizing that any attempt to challenge the SG’s position would follow due process in line with ODM’s internal democratic procedures.
His remarks followed Sifuna’s candid revelations during an interview on Citizen TV’s The Explainer, where he admitted the party is facing ideological contradictions and messaging confusion. The Nairobi Senator questioned ODM’s current direction, saying it had become difficult for him to explain the party’s stance due to internal disunity and inconsistent communication.
“There was a time it was easy to be ODM SG. Now, I struggle to explain our values because of mixed signals from within,” Sifuna said.
He further declared the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ODM and the ruling UDA party “dead,” citing the killing of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang while in police custody as a turning point that betrayed the spirit of political cooperation.
However, former ODM Chair and current Treasury CS John Mbadi strongly disagreed with Sifuna’s sentiments, accusing him of undermining party leadership and spreading personal opinions as official party positions. “Between the party leader and the SG, whose word is final?” Mbadi posed, insisting that all Cabinet appointments under the MoU had Raila Odinga’s blessing.
Ong’wen reiterated the party’s condemnation of recent abductions and killings, calling them unacceptable and contrary to the values ODM upholds. His statement aims to ease internal tensions and reaffirm ODM’s commitment to its foundational principles amid ongoing political realignments.
