The gloves are off in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). In a blistering media interview, party leader Oburu Oginga has publicly dismantled secretary general Edwin Sifuna—dismissing his power plays and revealing that even the late Raila Odinga had lost patience with him long before his death.
“We don’t have to go and beg him. He is not the Pope,” Oburu said on Hot 96’s Checkmate show. “Sifuna is the Secretary General of ODM. He can be removed like any other official.”
The Siaya Senator went further, alleging that Raila Odinga—ODM’s founding father who passed away in October 2025—was deeply disillusioned with Sifuna. His accusation: Sifuna allegedly organized goons to embarrass Raila in Kakamega.
“Raila was fed up with Sifuna. Sifuna should come slowly,” Oburu warned. “He is a young man. He should not be in a hurry to take over the party. He should learn. He should be patient.”
The explosive rebuke follows Sifuna’s own theatrical dismissal of Oburu’s authority. On March 28, during a parallel ODM National Delegates Conference at Ufungamano House, Sifuna sneered: “Oburu, look for your own SG. After Baba Raila Odinga, you don’t deserve me!”
That defiance has triggered a full-blown party war. On February 11, ODM’s NEC removed Sifuna as SG, appointing Busia Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo in an acting capacity. Sifuna fought back at the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal (PPDT), which initially dismissed his complaint. Undeterred, he returned to the tribunal on April 8, seeking to block his removal and halt disciplinary proceedings.
With the party now fractured and a Gazette notice looming, one thing is clear: In ODM’s battle for the soul of Raila’s legacy, Sifuna is learning that even kings fall—and secretaries general are not popes.