NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 10 – ODM Party Leader and Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga has told politicians uncomfortable with the party’s cooperation with President William Ruto to leave rather than remain on the fence, as divisions within the Orange party continue to deepen ahead of the 2027 General Election .

📻 Breaking It Down

Oburu said ODM could not accommodate leaders who opposed its current political direction while simultaneously remaining within the party, challenging them to openly declare whether they supported or rejected the broad-based government arrangement.

“We must urge that let us be straightforward. If you have an issue that you want to raise, raise it honestly. Do not be a fence sitter. Decide where you are because we want to know who is with us and who is not with us,” he said.

Oburu was speaking during a broad-based government meeting in Naivasha, where he defended ODM’s decision to work with Ruto’s administration despite the bitter political contest between the two sides in the 2022 election.

📌 What You Need to Know

The remarks come against the backdrop of a major internal struggle within ODM, pitting leaders backing the party’s cooperation with Ruto against a faction opposed to the arrangement.

The divisions have been particularly visible in the fallout between Oburu and former ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, with the two camps taking sharply different positions on the party’s political direction and leadership.

Oburu has previously told dissenting members who are uncomfortable with ODM’s negotiations with Ruto and the United Democratic Alliance to leave the party, saying ODM would not be held hostage by internal rebels.

The divisions have also spilled into debates over the party’s electoral strategy. In April, Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo joined other ODM legislators in opposing a proposed political zoning arrangement, warning that such an agreement could put leaders’ personal interests ahead of those of their constituents.

Odhiambo and other MPs argued that zoning could undermine the broad-based arrangement if implemented ahead of the 2027 elections.

The disagreement over ODM’s direction has also involved the party’s younger leaders and senior officials. A section of ODM youth previously came out in support of Sifuna after senior party figures criticised him, illustrating the widening generational and ideological fault lines within the movement.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya