Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has urged the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to follow internal dispute resolution procedures in addressing the removal of Edwin Sifuna as the party’s Secretary General, warning that the decision risks undermining fairness and party unity.
Speaking during an interview on KTN News on Wednesday night, Odinga defended Sifuna’s right to express his views, saying disciplinary concerns, if any, should have been handled through structured party mechanisms.
“Edwin Sifuna has been speaking his mind and has his right, and if there was any issue about discipline, he should have also been given the right to reply,” she said. “Even in Shakahola, the accused people were also given a chance to speak.”
Her remarks come amid growing debate within Orange Democratic Movement following a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Mombasa on Wednesday, February 11, which resolved to relieve Sifuna of his responsibilities with immediate effect.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the party announced that Deputy Secretary General Catherine Omanyo would assume the role in an acting capacity until a substantive office holder is elected.
Odinga emphasized that ODM has established structures designed to handle disputes and disciplinary matters, urging leaders to rely on these systems to maintain cohesion.
“This is a party with structures; we have the disciplinary system, arbitration, and mediation, and that is where I am coming from: that we need to sit down and go through our processes of mediation,” she said.
Her intervention reflects concerns among some party members that the decision could deepen internal divisions if not handled through consensus-driven processes.
Sifuna, who also serves as Nairobi Senator, has in recent months been vocal on national political issues, occasionally taking positions perceived as diverging from the party’s dominant stance.
Odinga’s call for mediation signals a push for dialogue within ODM at a time when the party is navigating internal realignments and preparing for future political contests.