EXPERT COMMENT: Sifuna's removal will kill ODM

Fighting these guys in power is not easy.

Those who want to remove Edwin Sifuna from power are very powerful. You cannot beat them in the courts.

This is a political problem. You have to solve it politically.

I don't think Sifuna will go far. I don't think he's a fool. I think he knows that a political game like this, cannot be resolved by the courts.

Removing Sifuna will kill ODM.

You see, there's something for which ODM stood for, something that Raila stood for. Sifuna represents that which people associate with ODM.

In the absence of those who are believed to be the ones who stand for what ODM stands for —Sifuna, Orengo and the rest — certainly, the party is dead.

Secondly, everybody in this country has their base. Parties are supposed to be national, but you and I know that Wiper has a base in Ukambani

DCP has Mt Kenya and so on. Every party has its base, without which you can't have a strong party in this country.

ODM has been Luo and Luhya. So the current war in ODM removes the Luhya component.

But at the same time, the infighting doesn't leave the Luo component intact

So, the Luos are divided and the Luhya component leaves forever.

Where are the legs on which this party will stand?

It can't stand. It won't be a Kenyan party. Kenyan parties don't work like that. DAP is in Bungoma and Trans Nzoia. ODM is in Luo Nyanza and Western.

The moment a party lacks that base, it is not part of this country. The base may not even be very big, but it's a firm base.

Look at the Ukambani base. It has not been big, but it has been growing demographically.

The fact that it is united behind Kalonzo and Wiper makes Wiper a serious national party.

You look at Parliament. How many ODM MPs are from Western?

Out of five governors in Western, three are already here. So, you can see that if you remove the Luhya component from ODM, it will start limping.