- Once a bastion of discipline under Raila Odinga, Kenya’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is in utter disarray as the party’s top brass scramble to contain a deepening internal crisis.
- In the weeks and months following Odinga’s death on October 15, 2025, the party, bereft of its unifying figure, has stumbled through a series of conflicting press conferences and contradictory pronouncements from its leadership.
- The public is witnessing a monumental capitulation in real-time as ODM leaders stake different claims over the party’s direction, alienating supporters and giving rivals political fodder.
Within days of Raila Odinga’s passing, senior ODM leaders took to the media to project a united front and seamless continuity.
ODM Party Leader Dr. Oburu Odinga was among the first to speak in this vein, pledging to keep the party united and urging leaders to listen to members nationwide.
Gladys Wanga and Simba Arati Double Pressers
In late October 2025, the ODM party was thrust into a public firestorm following provocative remarks by Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, who alleged that development in Nyanza had been disproportionately favoured during Raila Odinga’s lifetime.
Widely interpreted as cheering Raila Odinga’s death, the remarks sparked serious outrage across a nation that was still grappling with the shock of the veteran leader’s demise.
Homa Bay Governor and ODM National Chair Gladys Wanga issued a blistering condemnation of those remarks.
Flanked by a section of the party’s officials, Hon. Wanga ended up blasting not only Kahiga but publicly framing the issue as having been sanctioned by Rigathi Gachagua’s network.
Wanga called for Kahiga’s resignation from national forums and warned against association with his allies, a stance she delivered in what was perceived as a unilateral press briefing.
“Coming from someone who holds a respectable office of Vice Chairperson of the Council of Governors (CoG), it is utterly absurd and astonishing. We therefore demand that he resign from this position with immediate effect. The CoG cannot have a loose mouth, a reckless and irresponsible person holding such a position,” said Governor Wanga in her press conference.
On the very same day, Simba Arati, ODM’s Deputy Party Leader and Kisii County Governor, held a separate podium to respond to Kahiga.
Arati demanded the arrest and prosecution of Kahiga, rejecting any apology and positioning the matter as not merely disrespectful but criminally actionable.
That two senior ODM leaders issued distinct, parallel responses rather than a unified joint statement was widely seen as a mere power play, exposing the disjointed command and messaging at the top.
Sifuna and Junet Mohamed War of Words
Even as Secretary-General Sifuna called for unity in the party, his own public statements have been overtly divisive and unsettling to influential party stalwarts.
Sifuna has consistently urged the ODM Party to stick to its core values, including fighting for social justice, which have put it on a lengthy collision course with successive Kenyan regimes.
The Nairobi Senator has been identified as belonging to a firebrand faction of the party led by Siaya Governor James Orengo, a long-time ally and advisor of the late Raila Odinga.
This faction is apparently concerned by the possible loss of ODM’s identity as the party of the common man. Senior Counsel Orengo is backed by, among others, Winnie Odinga, who is Raila’s daughter and political apprentice.
At the same time, National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed has publicly challenged and rebutted Sifuna, resulting in a very public beef over the wastage of 2022 election funds.
Hon. Junet belongs to the opposing faction of the ODM Party that favors a joint working arrangement with the highly unpopular government led by President William Ruto, PhD.
In early January 2026, media reports showed Junet firing back at Sifuna’s accusation over poll agent remuneration and the disastrous 2022 presidential campaign strategy, framing the dispute in personal and rhetorical terms.
Disgruntled ODM Party Grassroots Leadership
The sharp division is no longer confined to the top brass; it has now permeated across the party’s grassroots structures, threatening its traditional support bases.
On January 15, 2026, the ODM Council of County Coordinating Chairs (CoCC) also held a press conference in Nairobi, calling for an urgent National Delegates Conference (NDC) to resolve a burgeoning legitimacy crisis after Raila Odinga’s passing.
Led by chair Zebedee Osabwa alongside Secretary Dickson Imanyara and member Ann Chepkwony, the council publicly rejected any further coalition talks with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) until a proper National Delegates Conference is convened.
Their statement, delivered separately from the party’s central organs, underscored growing defiance among rank-and-file who feel sidelined from high-stakes negotiations.
The chaotic string of conflicting signals is more than normal political jitters. It suggests a party in the throes of an identity crisis without Raila Odinga’s guiding authority.
What began as competing opinions has devolved into open factionalism, turning the party’s upper echelons into a battlefield for influence ahead of the 2027 polls.
Whether ODM can reconcile these internal differences remains an open question, yet many fear these could be the proverbial final kicks of a dying horse as the party teeters on the edge of a political precipice.
