NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 10 – Acting Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Oburu Oginga has pushed back against internal critics questioning the legitimacy of his leadership, daring them to challenge his position at the party’s National Delegates Convention (NDC).
During an event in Siaya County on Friday, Oburu said those disputing his leadership should seek redress through the party’s constitutional structures rather than public attacks.
“Those who are saying that Oburu was not validly elected, I challenge them to go together with me to the NDC if that is what they want. I will call the NDC very soon. I challenge them to come. I don’t fear anyone,” he said.
Oburu also defended ODM’s participation in the broad-based political arrangement with the Kenya Kwanza government, saying the engagement is meant to secure development and political gains for ODM supporters.
“We are currently working with the government and President William Ruto. We want to see that in the remaining short time, our people gain as much as they should. They should get their share, which they have been denied for many years,” he said.
He dismissed claims that only the late former prime minister Raila Odinga has the experience and political clout to manage high-level negotiations with the President, insisting that he has been directly involved in steering the talks.
“This broad-based arrangement, I want to assure those who are saying it was only Raila who could handle it and that Oburu does not know anything about it,” he said.
Oburu disclosed that he chaired several meetings between ODM and President Ruto that resulted in the appointment of senior ODM figures into Cabinet, including Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi and Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho.
“I want to tell them that in all the meetings of the broad-based arrangement with Ruto, I have been the chairperson, including the ones which appointed Opiyo Wandayi, Mbadi and Joho to the cabinet,” he said.
He cautioned party members that negotiations with the government would be demanding and would require unity within ODM to secure meaningful outcomes.
“I am telling you that it will not be a very easy negotiation. It is going to be tough, and we are going to get what our share should be, and this share depends on our unity and your membership in the party,” Oburu said.
The remarks underline growing internal debate within ODM over leadership, strategy and engagement with the government, even as the party seeks to position itself for influence in national decision-making.
Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino had called on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to convene a National Delegates Convention (NDC), saying the party must allow for leadership transition and chart a new direction.
In a statement shared on his social media platforms, Owino said it was time for ODM to open space for new leadership, arguing that the party needed renewal.
“We want ODM to call an NDC. It is time to take over the party leadership,” he said.
Owino made the remarks while sharing a photo from a meeting attended by ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, National Assembly Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo, Siaya Senator James Orengo, former Attorney General Amos Wako, and legislators Ruth Odinga, Catherine Mumma, and Crystal Asige.
The lawmaker has recently stated publicly that he intends to seek a senior leadership position within the party following the death of ODM founder Raila Odinga in October 2025.
The ODM leadership has yet to formally respond to Owino’s remarks.
However, Millie Odhiambo suggested on social media that the meeting was part of ongoing efforts to promote unity within the party’s top ranks.
“Gather all. Scatter none,” she wrote on her Facebook caption.
ODM is currently grappling with internal divisions, with two factions emerging over whether the party should support President William Ruto’s re-election bid.
One faction, allied to Owino and Sifuna, argues that ODM should exit the broad-based government and focus on preparations for the 2027 General Election to challenge President Ruto.
Sifuna believes the 2027 election presents ODM with its best chance to win the presidency after years of unsuccessful attempts under the late Raila Odinga.
The opposing faction—led by Party Leader Oburu Odinga, ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga, National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, and several leaders from Luo Nyanza—is advocating for negotiations with President Ruto to form a mega coalition. The group argues such an alliance could secure ODM significant representation in a potential Ruto administration after 2027.
The party has recently been rocked by heated internal disputes, with disagreements degenerating into name-calling and sharp accusations over who bears responsibility for Raila Odinga’s unsuccessful presidential bids.
An attempt to oust Secretary General Edwin Sifuna was halted on Tuesday after Migori Senator Eddy Aketch proposed dialogue as a way forward.
Mama Ida Odinga, the widow of the late ODM founder Raila Odinga, was forced to intervene, urging the feuding factions to embrace dialogue to avert a potential split.
