NAIROBI, Kenya – 6 August – Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna says he almost resigned after party leaders criticised his opposition to the Ruto-Raila Broad-Based government deal.
Sifuna spoke during a tribute to former MP and gender icon Phoebe Asiyo.
“I will come out of here very incited, because I am so happy to hear that Mama Asiyo threatened to resign, because things were not going the way she thought they should go. When things are taking a turn for the worst, you have a responsibility to put your foot down and say this is not who we are. This is not what we stand for, these are not our values,” he said.
The Nairobi Senator also took a swipe at his critics who have questioned his loyalty to ODM.
He stressed, “I believe that my future is now and I am doing what I would have done in any lifetime”.
Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang, who was the Master of Ceremonies at the service, jokingly said that he had to rush beside Sifuna to stop him from throwing in the towel.
“You may have noticed that I stood immediately. You do not resign at that point when you really wanted to go that direction. He is a friend of mine, but if he were a sports ball, he would be a rugby ball because you do not know which direction it will bounce next,” Kajwang told the attendees,
ODM stalwarts George Aladwa (Madaraka MP and ODM Nairobi Branch Chairman), Peter Kaluma (Homa Bay Town MP), and Robert Alai (Kileleshwa MCA) have called for Sifuna’s resignation, accusing him of causing party confusion.
Sifuna declared over the weekend that he would not hesitate to resign from his position if the party formally agrees to work with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in the 2027 General Election.
“I will read all the updates and releases by the party, except one. The day they say ODM has agreed to join hands and support UDA in the 2027 elections – that I will not read,” the ODM SG said.
The first-term city Senator has fiercely warned that an alliance with President Ruto will damage ODM’s standing as a people-centred movement and compromise its prospects beyond the 2027 election.
