Linda Mwananchi camp concedes defeat in battle for ODM

A group of senior Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leaders aligned to the Linda Mwananchi movement has declared that it has abandoned its bid to reclaim the party, saying it believes ODM has drifted away from the ideals of its late leader Raila Odinga and fallen under the influence of the Kenya Kwanza administration.

Speaking during a press briefing on Friday, Siaya Governor James Orengo, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi and Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka said months of internal resistance had failed to reverse what they described as the party’s new political direction.

The declaration marks a dramatic shift in the post-Raila succession battle that has consumed ODM since the veteran opposition leader’s death nearly a year ago, exposing deep divisions over the party’s future and its relationship with President William Ruto’s administration.

The four leaders had previously vowed to “fight for the soul of ODM,” insisting the party should remain an independent opposition outfit rather than work closely with the Kenya Kwanza government.

But Osotsi said the group had accepted that the battle had been lost.

“We said that we want to fight for the soul of the ODM party and the day we will feel that we have lost the fight, we will tell Kenyans that we have lost the fight. Today, we have decided that we will continue to be the carriers of the dream of Raila Amolo Odinga for the benefit of the people of Kenya,” Osotsi said.

The leaders also announced plans to strengthen the Linda Mwananchi movement, saying they would establish offices across their respective counties to coordinate their activities and build a national political network.

Orengo said the group had unanimously resolved to rally behind Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna despite his recent removal from ODM’s leadership, arguing that the development had only elevated his political profile.

“We have agreed and stood firmly behind our Secretary General, Senator Edwin Watenya Sifuna. We have seen what the group led by Oburu has done to him, but we have told him that is a small issue. He is now bigger than what he was,” Orengo said.

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In a bold political declaration, Orengo described Sifuna as a future national leader, saying the senator had grown beyond his former role in the party.

“Our leader is now bigger. He was the Secretary General. He is the incoming president,” he said, without elaborating on whether he was referring to Sifuna’s ambitions within ODM or a future presidential bid.

The Siaya governor added that the Linda Mwananchi movement would soon open offices in counties across the country, insisting that its support base extended beyond Sifuna’s home region and reflected a broader national push to carry forward what the group described as Raila Odinga’s vision.

The leaders accused ODM’s current leadership of abandoning the party’s founding principles and alleged that key decisions affecting the party were no longer being made at its Orange House headquarters but elsewhere.

They claimed the latest evidence was the decision to remove Sifuna from the Senate Deputy Minority Whip position.

“Unfortunately, we in ODM now have got into a place where we know that decisions affecting ODM and its membership are no longer made at Chungwa, including the decision yesterday to remove me from the position of deputy whip in the minority,” Sifuna said.

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