ODM party leader Raila Odinga has defended Secretary General Edwin Sifuna following his recent public criticism of the broad-based political arrangement between ODM and the ruling UDA party.
Speaking during a public forum in Kakamega on Friday, Raila emphasized that Sifuna was well within his rights to express his views, stressing that the Orange Democratic Movement remains a democratic party that values open debate and dissent—even when it challenges the party leadership.
“If Sifuna has spoken, he has every right to do so. If you disagree with him, say your piece too,” Raila stated, urging party members to embrace dialogue rather than silencing opposing voices.
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The former Prime Minister reiterated that no one in ODM is muzzled or forced to tow a specific line.
“I have never told anyone in ODM how they should speak. Even if someone says Baba is old and should go back to Bondo, I have no problem with that. It is the people who will decide.”
While supporting Sifuna’s freedom to speak, Raila clarified that ODM’s official positions are made collectively through internal party structures.
“Sifuna’s comments, like any other member’s, will be discussed in our party organs. That is where we respond and build consensus,” he said.
Raila further affirmed that the party would soon review the performance and direction of the ODM–UDA political arrangement, signaling a period of reflection and internal assessment.
“We’ll sit down, assess what has been implemented, and agree on the way forward together,” he said.
Sifuna, during a recent television interview, had declared the ODM–UDA deal “dead,” citing ongoing police brutality and the death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang in police custody on June 8 as a breaking point.
“On the day Albert Ojwang dies in a police cell, for me, this agreement is dead,” Sifuna stated.
He criticized the government’s failure to uphold the agreement’s core values—protection of life and democracy—saying that while democratic space had been preserved, state violence had continued.
Sifuna also refused to join any task force aimed at reviewing the agreement, saying, “I am not a mortician,” and argued that removing President William Ruto from office had become a national priority.
Raila’s remarks in Kakamega signal a delicate balancing act within ODM—defending its internal democracy while managing tensions around the evolving cooperation with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Atwoli Admits He Misread Grassroots Support for Sifuna
COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli also addressed the controversy during the same Kakamega meeting, making a candid confession that he had been ready to confront Senator Sifuna over his remarks — until he witnessed the overwhelming support Sifuna enjoys at the grassroots.
Atwoli said he was taken aback by Sifuna’s comments on national TV dismissing the ODM-UDA pact as “dead” and had planned to raise the matter with Raila. However, the roaring applause Sifuna received from party delegates gave him pause.
“Now listen, even I didn’t know you were like this. Honourable Sifuna—the other day I almost asked Baba [Raila], but Baba was out of the country. After I heard Sifuna on TV, I wondered, why is this young man contradicting the party leader? It turns out, I didn’t know you people are the ones backing Sifuna. Today I have come to understand.”