Oburu team plans to kick out Sifuna in Mombasa meet

Oburu Oginga/FILE

ODM is set for a high-stakes National Executive Committee meeting today amid growing indications that the fate of secretary general Edwin Sifuna and his allies could be decided.

This will be the second NEC sitting since the demise of the party’s long-serving leader Raila Odinga in October last year.

In its first meeting, the committee appointed Oburu Oginga to take over from Raila, bypassing the three deputy party leaders.

Today’s meeting carries strong undertones of possible leadership changes.

Officially, however, the agenda is to receive a briefing from the party’s Central Management Committee on coalition building and preparations for the National Delegates Convention.

The Star has established there is a quiet push to replace Sifuna with Busia Governor Paul Otuoma.

Sources say efforts to instal Otuoma as secretary general have gained momentum among a section of party honchos who argue that ODM needs someone who can work seamlessly with party leader Oburu.

Already, some of Sifuna’s known allies have been dropped from the NEC WhatsApp communication platform, a move insiders interpret as pointing to a possible purge during today’s meeting.

The NEC is also expected to read the riot act to dissenters opposed to the party’s decision to collaborate with President William Ruto’s UDA party.

Those earmarked for rebuke reportedly include deputy party leader Godfrey Osotsi, Siaya Governor James Orengo, MPs Caleb Amisi (Saboti), Babu Owino (Embakasi East) and Ruth Odinga (Kisumu Woman Rep).

A member of the NEC, who requested anonymity because he is not mandated to speak on behalf of the committee, said recent developments point to a plot to effect changes.

“That is possible [removal of Sifuna] because some of his people have been removed from the NEC group and they have not been invited for the Mombasa meeting,” the source told the Star in confidence.

The push to remove Sifuna came days after National Treasury CS John Mbadi called for his suspension, accusing him of going against the party’s position.

“Someone like Sifuna will not remain in ODM because already he is conflicted. He is now selling the agenda of someone else. Why are you pretending? You cannot keep him in the party,” the Treasury CS said.

Sifuna could not be reached for a comment.

However, according to the ODM Party Constitution, a member of the party should officially file a complaint to the Disciplinary Committee registering a misconduct.

The Disciplinary Committee shall, after a determination of facts on a complaint, make recommendation to the NEC which shall have the power to pass a penalty including, expulsion.

There are no indications against any such complaint against Sifuna.

An initial grievance filed by Migori Senator Eddy Okech was withdrawn.

But Osotsi dismissed claims of an impending ouster, terming such a move irregular.

“That would be illegal. On what basis? If any of the officials has gone against the party rules, he or she must be taken through a disciplinary procedure,” he told the Star on the phone.

“Such a decision must be made subsequent to a disciplinary process. Removal of an SG or any other official must be a substantive agenda item on the notice. I have seen the notice; it does not have that as an item.

“If they try to sneak that in as an AOB, that will be illegal and fraudulent.”

Sifuna has been leading a rebel wing opposed to the ODM-UDA talks, deepening friction within the 20-year-old party.

Tellingly, those perceived as his allies in the NEC — including MP Amisi and Rift Valley odm stalwart Kipkorir Menjo — were on Sunday removed from the NEC WhatsApp group.

They have also not been invited to the Mombasa meeting, with Chungwa House saying the move followed their election as county party chairpersons.

Speaking to the Star, Menjo described his removal as suspicious, recalling a similar episode in the past.

“But you know initially, I was facing a similar scenario where I was elected in the county and when I joined NEC they told me to choose either to remain in the county or NEC. What I did was to relinquish the county chairmanship position,” he said.

“This time round they never gave me that option. They just hurriedly pushed me out. I became suspicious, unless they wanted to make some drastic changes, which they feel I am not subscribed to. Maybe that is the reason they are in a hurry.”

Amisi did not respond to inquiries.

ODM executive director Oduor Ong’wen defended the removals, citing the party constitution.

“If you look at our [ODM] constitution, article 92, you cannot be a member of NEC and also a holder of a county position. They were recently elected chairmen of their respective counties,” he said.

“They knew this when they were going to contest for those positions.”

However, Osotsi condemned what he termed selective removals aimed at tilting the balance.

“Those are the things we have been talking against. What they are trying to do is to dismember the side that is opposed to what they are doing so that they have the numbers to push through their agenda,” Osotsi said.

“I wish all that effort could be put into trying to consolidate the party’s unity. They are making things worse by creating more division.”

He argued that members should be given a chance to choose where they wish to serve.

“They are using a very flimsy argument that they are chairpersons of their counties and therefore cannot sit in the NEC, but you cannot do that without first asking the members to make a decision on whether they want to continue in those positions or go to the counties,” Osotsi said.

“The whole idea is to dismember the other side so they have more members than the other side during the NEC.”

He also remained non-committal on whether he would attend the Mombasa meeting, saying the venue was ill-advised.

“I am not sure [about attending] because, you know, we [Senate] are on session. Currently, we are trying to beat the deadline for audit and Senate has just reconvened,” Osotsi said.

“Even taking the meeting to Mombasa is not the right thing to do. Why Mombasa? The meeting should have been held here in Nairobi. I don’t see the logistics working for everyone.”

INSTANT ANALYSIS

ODM’s NEC meeting signals a decisive internal power struggle following Raila Odinga’s death. The push to replace Edwin Sifuna, coupled with the removal of his allies from NEC structures, suggests consolidation by the Oburu Oginga-aligned faction, particularly over the party’s cooperation with UDA. While leadership cites constitutional grounds, dissenters view the moves as numerical engineering to neutralise internal opposition. Mbadi’s public call for Sifuna’s removal adds pressure and frames the dispute as ideological loyalty. If handled procedurally poorly, the showdown risks deepening fractures and accelerating factional realignment.