Sifuna speaks out on anger and ODM snubs at Raila’s funeral

ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna/FILE

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and the Secretary General of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has opened up about his anger and frustration over how former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s funeral arrangements were managed.

He described the experience as emotionally overwhelming and raised concerns about the sidelining of party officials during key decisions.

In an interview at Citizen TV on Tuesday, Sifuna revealed he was absent when the party decided to appoint Oburu Odinga as the ODM leader. He said he had been tasked with travelling to Mumbai to accompany the body of Raila Odinga, who had died while undergoing treatment in India.

When asked if he thought the assignment was a deliberate move to keep him out of the decision-making process, Sifuna said, “It's possible, but you know, at that particular point, first of all, my head was just buzzing, you know. And people ask me, one day I will tell you the story, that the overwhelming emotion for me was actually anger.”

Sifuna described the anger he felt as multifaceted.

“I was so angry, I was angry at so many things. I remember getting on that flight, and I looked around. I couldn't see enough of Raila's friends. I was very angry,” he recounted.

He criticised the heavy presence of government officials at the funeral proceedings, which he felt overshadowed the late leader’s personal and political legacy.

He recounted the experience at Nyaya Stadium, where Raila’s casket was received.

“I was very angry at Nyaya Stadium that Baba, even when he was Prime Minister, you know, there used to be fights about even him getting police escort. And suddenly we have these police outriders in front of his casket, and he's taking this tour that to me should have been like his inauguration or something when he's going around the stadium. Things that were denied Raila during his lifetime,” Sifuna said.

Sifuna also expressed disappointment over the handling of party symbolism during the funeral.

“I was very angry that they totally blacked out his party colours at Nyaya Stadium. I was very angry that they didn't even mention his political party. I was angry because we used to drape coffins of people, me and Mzee, in party colours. They didn't allow us to drape his coffin in party colours,” he said.

He added that he had previously known he would not be given a chance to speak in Bondo, prompting him to dress in a way that reflected his personal protest: “That's why I was dressed the way I was dressed. I didn't know I was going to speak in Bondo.”

Addressing how he came to be assigned the task of travelling to Mumbai, Sifuna explained it was more circumstantial than deliberate.

“We were three of us there in the leadership of the party. Two deputy party leaders, I remember Senator Osotsi was there, and Governor Simba Arati was there. So, when we looked at the delegation, it was government-heavy. And as an afterthought, they say, we need somebody to go. Actually, Junet was supposed to go. We reached the airport, and he said he was feeling unwell. And Eddie was not even on the list. When Junet dropped out, Eddie got on the plane, you know.”

Sifuna’s reflections highlight tensions within ODM’s leadership during one of the party’s most sensitive moments. His account underscores the challenges of balancing party protocol, personal loyalties, and the overwhelming public expectations that surrounded Raila Odinga’s final journey.