The Nairobi senator was ejected from his secretary general position on Wednesday, a move suspended by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal.
Nonetheless, opposition figures have invited the senator to join their ranks.
Just like the United Opposition, Sifuna has sustained the Wantam campaign, which has caused him problems with the Senator Oburu Oginga-led ODM. For months, he has clashed with the party leadership over whether ODM should maintain an independent opposition posture or engage with UDA and back President William Ruto’s re-election.
This stance led to his removal at a NEC meeting on Wednesday in Mombasa.
Following the removal, Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo, a key ally of Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, extended an invitation to Sifuna to join Wiper, which is a key party in the United Opposition.
Heaping praise on Sifuna, Maanzo said the Nairobi senator will not sink as a politician and has indeed been propelled to greater heights.
“Sifuna should not be worried, and as part of the Azimio coalition, I invite him to cross over from ODM to Wiper party,” Maanzo said.
“He is still going to be elected senator of Nairobi, and that’s why I am inviting him.”
People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua also praised Sifuna as a young, knowledgeable and principled politician.
She said he has done a sterling job as ODM secretary general, and that he would be an asset in any political outfit he joins.
While noting that Sifuna had not exhausted redress over his ouster, Karua appeared to indicate that his profile and youth appeal could sharpen the opposition’s competitiveness ahead of 2027.
Embakasi North MP James Gakuya, another vocal ally of DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua, indicated that the United Opposition will be open to the Sifuna camp.
Gakuya also signalled an opportunity to exploit the division, saying the cracks mean ODM will not deliver its support in its entirety.
“No one will deliver the ODM party to William Ruto in full. There will be a faction led by Oburu that may easily move to endorse President Ruto, and there will be the other camp,” he said.
“If this battle goes to court, no one will beat Sifuna because he is still the secretary general and custodian of ODM instruments. At the end of the day, the party will remain divided into two.”
Gakuya’s remarks reflect a broader strategy among opposition leaders to embrace or court Sifuna and the group that includes Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.
A Westlands MP aspirant on the DCP ticket also invited Sifuna to join the opposition camp.
“Edwin Sifuna, welcome to DCP. Fools cannot tolerate intelligent men,” he said on his socials.
With the ‘Wantam’ language and opposition to Ruto, political observers predict that the ‘Young Turks’ in ODM will back a Kalonzo Musyoka-led United Opposition in the two-horse race.
Indeed, Kalonzo has been tasked in United Opposition talks with reaching out to Sifuna’s camp as part of efforts to strengthen the coalition into a more united front against Kenya Kwanza.
Kalonzo and Gachagua have publicly invited Sifuna and Babu Owino to consider joining opposition-allied parties Wiper and DCP if their situation in ODM deteriorates.
On Wednesday, soon after the ouster announcement by ODM’s National Executive Council, Kalonzo posted a cryptic solidarity photo with Sifuna.
Sifuna and his allies have, however, dismissed the ouster, maintaining that they will fight for control of ODM from within.
The allies, led by Siaya Governor James Orengo, maintained that Sifuna remains the duly elected secretary general and that his removal violated party procedures.
Securing the allegiance of figures such as Sifuna and Owino would boost the United Opposition’s urban appeal and popularity.
Other than inviting Sifuna to the camp, Gachagua has also announced that he is open to party zoning in the Nairobi line-up, opening the window to working with other like-minded parties and individuals.
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