A sharp internal rift within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) deepened Friday as Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino signalled plans to hold a parallel delegates conference in Nairobi, coinciding with the party’s official National Delegates Convention (NDC).
Political analyst Onyango Okello weighed in on the unfolding developments, framing the move as a symptom of deeper strategic missteps by the duo.
Okello said Sifuna and Owino are “running out of ideas” and are now reverting to confrontational politics that, in his view, are losing traction.
“They have drawn their only relevance from ODM, and when that well runs dry they fall back on attacking the party,” Okello said.
“The initial enthusiasm around their positions is fading, and this latest parallel initiative looks like an attempt to reclaim attention rather than build organisational legitimacy.
The planned parallel gathering — branded by its organisers as a grassroots delegates assembly — comes amid escalating disagreements over the composition of delegate lists, internal leadership processes, and broader direction of ODM ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sifuna, a former party secretary‑general and one of the most prominent figures in Nairobi politics, has publicly questioned the transparency of the official NDC processes. Similarly, Babu Owino has been vocal about perceived exclusion and what he describes as entrenched interests controlling key party structures.
Both leaders have denied intentions to fracture the party, instead arguing that their alternative platform seeks to “recenter power with the rank and file.” They maintain that disaffected party members must have a voice in choosing leadership and setting strategy.
However, Okello dismissed the narrative that a parallel conference could meaningfully challenge the official convention.
“They seem to believe they can stop the mighty ODM, that they are shaking a huge tree,” he said. “What they are really shaking is themselves. At this point the parallel move looks performative rather than transformative.”
ODM leadership has reaffirmed commitment to the official NDC and warned that parallel processes risk deepening divisions and diluting the party’s electoral strength.
Party officials have described the official delegates list as legitimate and have urged dissenting figures to engage through formal channels.