Troubled ODM: Raila’s party turning into Tower of Babel

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s ODM party increasingly looks like a Tower of Babel –a house divided, with many tongues, disjointed positions and a leadership torn between being thevoice of the people or the establishment.

The decision by the Orange Democratic Movement to sign a working MoU with PresidentWilliam Ruto’s UDA in March has compounded the confusion in what was once Kenya’s mostformidable opposition force. Now Kenyans are asking if the country has a real opposition tocheck the government.

Since inking the deal and agreeing to top Cabinet posts for its officials, ODM is struggling toestablish a clear, persuasive and unified voice, as several contradictory positions haveemerged and are pulling in different directions.

Raila blowing hot and cold on critical national matters — has further confused his foot soldiers who have been speaking from both sides of their mouthson every single issue of national concern.

Expected to be rallying his troops behind the broad-based government in line with thesigned MoU, Raila several times has been doing the opposite — condemning theadministration’s missteps and appearing to align with the rising youth-led rebellion.

The double standard has left the Orange family wobbling.While some of Raila’s allies have turned themselves into court jesters for Ruto’s administration,a considerable number of his inner circle have taken stances that appear to contradict theperceived party position, although that perception varies.

Last month, ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna declared the Raila-Ruto MoU dead, at a time his boss was traversing his Nyanza basejustifying his deal with the President’s ruling party.

Sifuna termed the truce “meaningless” in the wake of the resurging abductions andextrajudicial killings, ending which were core of the MoU.

 “As Sifuna, if you ask me about the MoU we signed with UDA, it is of no use, it isnot effective,” he said.

“Where we have reached, it doesn’t matter what Ruto does, that agreement is dead.The only way to breathe life into that MoU is to bring back to life Albert [Ojwang’ who died inpolice custody] and other youths.”

“How come we can agree there will be no more killings of the youth but still a young man istaken from his home in Homa Bay, driven to Nairobi and killed inside a police cell?” Sifunaasked.

The likes of MPs Babu Owino (Embakasi East) and Caleb Amisi (Saboti) have also beenemboldened, publicly firing incessant salvos at the Ruto-Raila political deal.

ODM’s turmoil does not end there, a number of its MPs, including top officials, havebeen publicly campaigning for presidential aspirants affiliated with rival formationspositioning itself as an alternative power bloc.

In the not-so-distant past, such a move would guarantee a member a not-so-comfortable datewith the party’s dreaded disciplinary committee.

Kisii Governor Simba Arati, Kitutu Chache MP Anthony Kibagendi and Kisii Senator RichardOnyonka — all elected on an ODM ticket — have publicly endorsed former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i for president. The former ‘Super Minister’ is a member of the unitedopposition. He has been endorsed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta as the presumptiveJubilee Party candidate.

“Matiang’i will be at the negotiating table, we don’t want someone from outside to arrangeour politics for us. William Ruto, we have no problem if you will endorse Matiang’i as thecandidate,” Arati said on Wednesday.

Arati is not just any ODM member but a deputy party leader, only coming second afterRaila in the party’s pecking order.

In another public demonstration of problems within the party, MPs elected on the ODMticket defied their party leader on Tuesday and voted in favour of amendment seeking tointegrate the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) in the Constitution.

Despite Raila’s several calls to scrap that fund, his MPs turned a deaf ear. The moveflies in the face of Raila’s long-standing opposition to the fund, which was also declaredunconstitutional by the Supreme Court. This contradiction further exposed the confusion inODM and raised questions about its internal cohesion.

The political cross-dressing has triggered outrage within the Orange party, as insiderswarn the mixed signals could have serious ramifications for the 2027 general elections, hurtingODM and helping Kenya Kwanza.

The party is yet to officially reprimand any of its rogue members but watchers say thesilence speaks volumes about the growing struggle to maintain ideological and disciplinaryorder within the ranks.

In what appears to be a response to the uncoordinated happenings, ODM leader Railaon Wednesday met the party’s county chairmen and chairpersons in Nairobi, a meeting viewedas part of the party’s revitalisation plans.

Led by the chairman of the Council of the County Chairpersons (CoCC) and KakamegaGovernor Fernades Barasa, the leaders briefed Raila on the reality on the ground and laidout the grassroot plans for the road to 2027.

The officials were also reminded of the need for unity and coordination to make the partyrobust at the grassroots.

“He [Raila] reminded the party officials of the need to work together, share ideas, andcompare notes for the benefit of the party, saying it is through such initiatives that the party’sstrength can be felt in all the corners of the Republic,” a party statement issued afterthe COCC meeting read.

The meeting also affirmed ODM’s role in the broad-based government arrangement, even asquestions arose about the party’s ideological clarity in the current political reality.

“The 13-member steering committee hailed the party leader for his selflessness inputting Kenya first in the wake of the [2024] uprising that threatened to tear the country apart,saying such bold decisions may not be favourable to some people. Still, they are in thenation’s best interest,” the ODM statement read.

“They (COCC) supported the broad-based government, which has members of the ODM partyserving the country in different capacities, including Cabinet secretaries and Principalsecretaries.”