Sifuna team in push to stall Orange party NDC

ODM is facing a fresh internal crisis after a faction led by Secretary General Edwin Sifuna issued demands that could derail the party’s planned March 27 National Delegates Convention (NDC).

The Sifuna-led team on Thursday called for the immediate publication of a verified delegates’ register and competitive elections for all national positions. They rejected what they described as a push by a rival faction to “confirm” officials without a contest.

The rival camp is associated with party leader Oburu Oginga and party chairperson Gladys Wanga.

The dispute now threatens to spill into court, with dissenters warning they will seek legal redress if the convention proceeds without what they term basic democratic safeguards.

ODM Deputy Party Leader Godfrey Osotsi, a key figure in the Sifuna-aligned Linda Mwananchi camp, told the Star that an NDC conducted without a transparent and complete delegates’ register would be “illegal.”

According to Osotsi, the integrity of the March 27 meeting hinges on the completion of grassroots elections and the public disclosure of those elected to represent counties and wards at the convention.

“They should publish the list of delegates. The meeting is illegal without the completion of grassroots elections. Who are the delegates?” he asked.

He said several counties — including Nairobi, Kisumu, Busia, and Turkana — are yet to conclude their county and ward-level elections, raising questions about who will attend and vote at the NDC.

“Several counties, including Nairobi, Kisumu, Busia, and Turkana, have not held their county elections, and some are yet to hold elections at the ward level,” he said.

The Sifuna faction argues that proceeding without resolving these gaps would amount to handpicking delegates and undermine the party constitution.

They further warned that once grassroots elections are declared, all seats are rendered vacant, meaning no official can legitimately claim office without a fresh mandate from delegates.

“By the time grassroots elections were being declared, all the seats were declared vacant. If they proceed, they will be challenged in courts,” Osotsi said.

At the heart of the row is whether the March 27 convention will conduct competitive elections or merely endorse officials currently serving in acting capacities.

Oburu, Wanga, and deputy party leaders Simba Arati and Abdulswamad Nassir — alongside Osotsi — have been serving in acting roles pending the NDC’s verdict. The party constitution grants the NDC sole authority to elect national office bearers.

The Sifuna group insists all positions must be contested.

“We want an NDC that will resolve problems in ODM. The only way is to subject leaders to the delegates to decide. Where ODM has reached, the disputes in the party can only be resolved through elections,” Osotsi said.

However, figures aligned to Oburu have dismissed the allegations, maintaining preparations for the NDC are on track and in line with the party constitution.

Deputy Secretary General Catherine Omanyo said the party leadership had met to review outstanding issues ahead of what she described as a special NDC.

“We have met to see what is still unfinished on our side prior to our special NDC that is coming forth. We don’t need to preempt what we are going to discuss there,” Omanyo said.

National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, who doubles as ODM’s Secretary for Elections, also dismissed fears of manipulation, saying all logistical and procedural arrangements were underway.

“We are prepared for the conference; everything has been put into motion. We want to conclude all pending matters,” Junet said, without elaborating on whether elections would be competitive.

Oburu chaired the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Wednesday, where members mandated Omanyo to issue the official notice convening the NDC.

Beyond the leadership contest, the wrangles have been fuelled by sharp disagreements over the implementation timeline of the Nadco report and the 10-point agenda arising from bipartisan talks between President William Ruto and former ODM leader Raila Odinga (deceased).

The Sifuna-led team has accused Oburu and Wanga of misinterpreting the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Ruto and Raila, particularly on timelines for implementing the Nadco resolutions.

While the Oburu camp maintains that the Nadco process and 10-point agenda are ongoing national reform measures without a fixed deadline, the Sifuna faction insists there was a clear commitment to release a comprehensive implementation report by March 7, 2026 — one year after the MoU was signed.

Osotsi termed the position taken by Oburu and Wanga as a “gross betrayal” of Raila’s vision.

“Saying there is no timeline is a gross betrayal of Raila’s vision for this country; some elements within ODM want to discard the 10-point agenda,” Osotsi said.

He cited the MoU, arguing its text was explicit about timelines.

“The MoU is very clear that a final comprehensive report detailing the status of the MoU’s implementation will be released on March 7, 2026, marking the one-year anniversary of its signing,” he said.

But Wanga dismissed claims the reform agenda was tied to a specific end date.

“I want to correct the statement that the 10-point agenda is ending on the 7th (March). The agenda is moving this nation forward, the way it was discussed and canvassed,” she said after chairing the NEC meeting.

"It does not have an end date. Looking at issues of the Nadco report, corruption, strengthening devolution, and debt, these cannot have an end date.”

The team overseeing the implementation of the Nadco and 10-point agenda is expected to submit its report to a joint Parliamentary Group meeting of ODM and the ruling UDA at KICC next week.

However, the Linda Mwananchi faction has vowed to boycott the joint meeting, arguing that participating would legitimise what they see as a deviation from Raila’s reform blueprint.

“I don’t think the joint PG makes sense to us anymore; it is a meeting that betrays Raila,” Osotsi said.

The unfolding dispute reflects a deeper struggle within ODM over its identity and direction in the post-Raila era. With Raila no longer at the helm, competing power centres are jostling for control of the party machinery ahead of the next electoral cycle.

The March 27 NDC is therefore more than a routine party meeting. It is shaping up as a defining moment that will determine whether ODM resolves its differences internally through open contestation or slides into prolonged factional battles fought in courtrooms and parallel political forums.

If the delegates’ register controversy is not settled and the question of competitive elections clarified, the risk of parallel meetings, legal injunctions, and further fragmentation remains high.

For a party that has long branded itself as a champion of internal democracy and constitutionalism, how ODM handles the coming convention will send a powerful signal to its supporters and to the wider opposition landscape.