ODM plans to oust Edwin Sifuna

Inside ODM today, a quiet but consequential power struggle is unfolding around Secretary General Edwin Sifuna. What appears on the surface as routine internal disagreement is in reality a deeper recalibration of interests by the party’s dominant power centers. The question being asked in private meetings is no longer whether Sifuna is competent or popular. It is whether he is still profitable to the political machinery that runs ODM.

Sifuna rose as a sharp legal mind, an aggressive communicator and a youthful face that resonated with an urban and digitally engaged constituency. For a time, this made him extremely useful. He defended the party relentlessly in the media, confronted the state without fear and helped project ODM as a party that still spoke the language of reform. However, power in ODM has never been sustained by rhetoric alone. It is sustained by loyalty, predictability and the ability to align personal ambition with the survival instincts of the party’s inner circle.

The current leadership appears increasingly uncomfortable with Sifuna’s independence. As Secretary General, he occupies a strategic nerve center that controls party structures, nominations and institutional memory. As Nairobi Senator, he holds a national platform that allows him to speak beyond ODM and directly to the public. This dual power has elevated him from a party functionary to a political actor with his own bargaining strength. For a leadership that prefers managed ambition, this is a dangerous position for one individual to occupy.

The theory gaining currency within ODM circles is that Sifuna has become too autonomous. He speaks boldly on constitutionalism, governance failures and state overreach in ways that sometimes complicate backroom negotiations. While the party publicly thrives on resistance politics, its survival has always depended on strategic accommodation with power. Sifuna’s confrontational posture threatens this balance. He is not easily muted, and more importantly, he is not easily controlled.

Another uncomfortable truth is generational anxiety. ODM is wrestling with its succession dilemma. Raila Odinga remains the gravitational center of the party, but the question of what comes after him has never been resolved. Figures who command youth attention and national credibility are both assets and threats. Sifuna fits this profile perfectly. Removing him from key positions weakens his institutional leverage and sends a message to other ambitious younger leaders about the limits of acceptable independence.

The Senate seat adds another layer to this calculation. Sifuna’s visibility in the Senate gives him legitimacy that is not entirely dependent on party goodwill. This makes disciplinary threats less effective. From a purely strategic perspective, stripping him of either the Secretary General role or engineering a political environment that undermines his Senate influence would reduce his ability to act outside the party script. The idea is not necessarily to destroy him politically but to neutralize him.

There is also the issue of utility. Political parties, especially those built around strong personalities, assess leaders based on immediate returns. Mobilization, fundraising leverage, elite negotiations and electoral control matter more than intellectual consistency or public approval. The argument within ODM’s top ranks appears to be that Sifuna no longer delivers the kind of returns they value most. His popularity does not easily translate into elite security or transactional advantage. In that sense, he has become expensive to keep and risky to empower further.

What makes this situation explosive is the contradiction it exposes within ODM. The party brands itself as democratic and reformist, yet it remains deeply suspicious of internal dissent and unscripted leadership. Sifuna’s potential ouster would not be about failure. It would be about success of the wrong kind. Success that builds personal capital rather than reinforcing the collective control of the party elite.

If these plans materialize, the fallout will extend beyond Sifuna. It will confirm to the public that ODM, like many Kenyan parties, punishes independence and rewards compliance. It will also test whether Sifuna is merely a product of the party or a political force capable of surviving outside its protective shell. The leadership may believe removing him restores order. The risk is that it instead exposes the party’s fear of its own future.

In Kenyan politics, power rarely moves loudly at first. It whispers, rearranges structures and slowly closes doors. What is happening to Edwin Sifuna fits this pattern. Whether he resists, adapts or is eventually pushed out will shape not just his career, but the credibility of ODM as a vehicle for genuine political renewal.

If ODM’s internal maneuvers against Edwin Sifuna confirm deeper power realignments, they will underscore how party politics in Kenya is often driven by strategy rather than ideology. As these shifts unfold, EyeAfrica.news continues to track the forces shaping influence and ambition. Readers may also find value in “Major Shake-Up Expected in Kenya’s Real Estate as FBI Targets $1 Billion Minnesota Fraud Proceeds,” and “The Rise of Babu Owino: Youth Appeal and Political Momentum in Kenya,” which provide further context on power, money, and emerging political figures in Kenya.

My References

Call for His Removal or Petition Filed
Senator Oketch Files Petition to Oust Sifuna as ODM SG and De‑whip Him (Kenyans.co.ke) — Covers the formal petition filed by Migori Senator Eddy Oketch accusing Sifuna of gross misconduct, violation of party rules and representing rival interests, with a call to suspend and expel him.

ODM Senator Officially Petitions Party to Expel Sifuna (Pulse Kenya) — Adds details on the same petition, contextualising the alleged breaches and internal party conflict.

Motion to Expel Sifuna Withdrawn in Favour of Dialogue (Capital News) — Reports that the motion to remove Sifuna was withdrawn in favour of internal talks, showing both conflict and factional negotiation.

Migori Senator Withdraws Bid to Remove Sifuna After Talks (Mwakilishi.com) — Confirms withdrawal and party efforts to smooth tensions, yet notes internal disagreements.

Cherargei Claims ODM Is Set to Move Against Sifuna (Capital News) — Covers specific claims by another senior ODM senator that party leadership may remove Sifuna for undermining the party and its cooperation strategy.

Kabuchai MP Warns of Exodus If Sifuna Is Ousted (Kenyans.co.ke) — Highlights warnings from within ODM that pushing Sifuna out could fracture the party and alienate key communities.

Contextual Reporting on Internal ODM Tensions

Sifuna Demands Major Decisions Go Through Party Structures (Capital News) — Shows how internal divisions over 2027 election direction and party process are intensifying.

Sifuna Calls Out Broad‑Based Govt Hardliners in ODM (People’s Daily) — Provides context on public critiques by Sifuna of internal members allegedly favouring policies aligned with the government, illustrating factional rifts.

Oburu Oginga Addresses Calls to Remove Sifuna (Nairobileo) — A senior party leader’s attempt to calm voices calling for Sifuna’s removal, useful for balanced analysis.

Other Useful Context

Sifuna’s Stance on ODM‑UDA Agreement (NairobiLeo) — Shows Sifuna’s ongoing public disagreement with the party’s cooperation with the Ruto government, a key fault line.

MP Kaluma Calls for Sifuna’s Resignation (Kenyans.co.ke) — Demonstrates that calls for his exit are not isolated to one senator but have resurfaced from different legislators over time.