LUMAKANDA, Kenya — In a striking display of internal party friction, ODM Secretary-General and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has issued a formal apology to former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Speaking on Tuesday during the burial of former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo, Sifuna sought to distance the party’s top leadership from recent hostile remarks made by other high-ranking officials.
The apology highlights a growing ideological split within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) following the passing of its founding leader, Raila Odinga, as the party debates its future alliances.
Addressing the former President directly, Sifuna lamented that some within the party had a “short memory” regarding the political and personal sacrifices Uhuru Kenyatta made during the “Handshake” era and the 2022 presidential campaign.
“On behalf of the ODM party, I want to apologise for the insults directed at you by some ODM leaders who have forgotten the work you did to help the late father become president,” Sifuna stated. “They have forgotten the work you did; we were there, and we are witnesses.”
Sifuna characterized the attacks as coming from a specific faction, contrasting them with members who still hold the former Head of State in high regard.
“Today, they want to cut off the hand that fed them. Because the party has both wise and foolish members, I want, on behalf of the foolish ones, to apologise for the insults directed at you,” he added.
A debt of gratitude
The Secretary-General emphasized that the party’s core identity remains rooted in the values of gratitude and loyalty that the late Raila Odinga championed.
He noted that the former Prime Minister often spoke of Kenyatta as a singular, reliable ally in a volatile political landscape.
“If there was ever a day the ODM party did not say thank you, today I want to say, as Secretary-General of ODM, thank you for standing by Baba (Raila Odinga),” Sifuna remarked. “Raila used to tell us every day that you were among his few true friends, and we will continue to respect you.”
The Backdrop of Internal Conflict
Sifuna’s olive branch comes just days after a sharp exchange in Homa Bay County, where ODM Chairperson Governor Gladys Wanga and National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed accused Kenyatta of meddling in party affairs.
The two leaders claimed that the former President was using “insiders” to orchestrate internal divisions, a move perceived by some as an attempt to block a burgeoning cooperation between ODM and President William Ruto’s administration.
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During that Sunday event, Governor Wanga issued a stern warning:
“We have respect for President Uhuru Kenyatta. However, if you want to destroy the ODM Party by sending wheeler-dealers to us, then we reject your plans. We will not take that matter lightly, as we will deal with it perpendicularly.”
Political analysts suggest that Sifuna’s apology represents a faction within ODM that is resistant to being absorbed into a pre-election pact with the ruling UDA.
By aligning himself with Uhuru Kenyatta, Sifuna is signaling a commitment to the party’s traditional “opposition” identity, even as other leaders explore a “broad-based” government arrangement.
