ODM fallout: Delegates meet to seal Sifuna's SG fate

The embattled ODM Secretary-General, Edwin Sifuna, is likely to see his tenure as the Orange Democratic Movement’s spokesperson come to an end on Friday next week, when the National Delegates Convention is expected to confirm his removal.

The party has convened a Special National Delegates Congress (SNDC) at Jamhuri Grounds, where, according to National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohammed, delegates will endorse resolutions adopted by the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Mombasa, including Sifuna’s removal.

“No other business will be discussed at the SNDC apart from what was resolved by either the NEC or the National Governing Council (NGC),” Junet told journalists on Thursday.

The Oburu Oginga–Gladys Wanga faction, also known as the “Linda Ground” group, remains confident it has followed due process under the party constitution in seeking Sifuna’s removal. The faction has dismissed a legal challenge to the convention, set to be determined a day before the meeting, as unfounded.

The case, filed by ODM member Vincent Chepkwony at the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT), seeks to quash the resolutions of the NEC meeting held on February 11, 2026, while maintaining that Oburu was irregularly installed as the party leader. He argued that the leadership violated the party constitution by usurping the powers of the NDC in electing party officials, who include Oburu, saying the resolutions that made him the party leader were passed by a body that is not legally recognised in the ODM Constitution.

“None of the members of ODM holding national office has been legally elected by the NDC as required by the constitution. The members have been passing resolutions purporting to bind the party and its membership,” Chepkwony, through his lawyer Deynes Muriithi, states. 

However, ODM stalwarts maintain that they followed all procedures and remain confident that the NDC will proceed as planned at Jamhuri Grounds, in a bid to ratify decisions by the NGC and the NEC that confirmed Oburu as party leader and removed Sifuna from the party leadership.

In a notice, ODM said the meeting will be held in Nairobi County starting at 9am and will bring together members of the party’s top leadership organs, including the NEC, the Parliamentary Group, and representatives from the party’s leagues and county structures.

The party said the convention will deliberate on several matters affecting its leadership and governance structures. Among the agenda items are the ratification of a resolution by the NGC on party leadership and consideration of a NEC resolution touching on Article 87 of the party constitution. “The agenda of the day shall include ratification of the National Governing Council resolution on party leadership and taking note of the National Executive Committee resolution on Article 87 of the party constitution,” ODM stated.

As the party gears up for the NDC, it has emerged that Sifuna’s woes stem from his absence from crucial NEC meetings, often sending his apologies, a factor the NEC has cited in its decision to remove him as Secretary-General. 

Multiple sources indicate that, while Sifuna’s opposition to the broad-based arrangement between ODM and President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has been a factor, his continued absence from NEC meetings will be used as the primary justification for his removal.

ODM Deputy Secretary-General in charge of Strategy, Agens Zani, who also chairs the committee overseeing implementation of the ten-point agenda and the Nadco report, said Sifuna had consistently been absent from NEC meetings.

“He has been absent from many of our NEC meetings, and this is why we resolved to replace him with Catherine Omanyo, the Deputy Secretary-General in charge of political affairs. Under our constitution, there can be no vacuum, and no one can sabotage the party,” she said.

According to Zani, the claim that the Special NDC was illegal since it was being conducted before completing the party’s elections can’t hold water since the NDC was not the ordinary one but a ‘special one’.

She explained that Article 23 (Part J) of the ODM constitution allows for the convening of the NDC in the absence of the Secretary-General.

“We have the Secretary-General of ODM and two deputy secretaries-general—one in charge of political affairs and one in charge of strategy. In the absence of the Secretary-General, or if urgent action is required, it can be taken by the Deputy Secretary-General in charge of political affairs,” she said.

ODM chairperson Gladys Wanga dismissed plans for a parallel NDC, saying the party had duly listed delegates and adhered to its constitution, unlike the Sifuna-Orengo faction.

“There will be only one NDC at Jamhuri grounds. People are free to hold political rallies, barazas and parties, but the NDC will only be one on Friday, 27. Delegates have been notified and will attend,” she said.

She accused those threatening a parallel NDC of developing cold feet despite earlier calls for the convention.

“There was a call throughout last year for the NDC. Now that we have agreed to convene it, those who demanded it want to organise their own. The party constitution requires a 21-day notice, which can only be issued by the party. Others must abide by party rules,” she said.

Junet addressed reports that East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Winnie Odinga intends to vie for the deputy party leader position, saying the Special NDC would strictly adhere to the agenda outlined in the notice.

This suggests that Winnie’s bid to join the party leadership may not materialise, a development that could further deepen divisions within the party.

Political analyst Herman Manyora warned that the Special NDC could prove a turning point for ODM, arguing that Sifuna’s removal may signal diminished influence, particularly in the Western region.

“Sifuna’s political influence, especially in the Western region, is significant, and his removal will likely be felt by the party,” he said.