NAIROBI, Kenya — Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has been removed from the Senate Energy Committee in a reshuffle that is likely to intensify speculation about growing divisions within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
The changes, approved by the Senate on Wednesday, saw Sifuna replaced by Moses Kajwang’, effectively ending his membership on a committee chaired by Oburu Oginga.
The move comes against the backdrop of an increasingly public fallout between Sifuna and sections of the ODM leadership over the party’s cooperation agreement with President William Ruto and the direction of the party following recent internal changes.
Announcing the reshuffle, Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot said the changes had been approved following recommendations from the Senate Business Committee and in accordance with the Senate Standing Orders.
Besides Sifuna’s removal from the Energy Committee, the reshuffle also affected several other senators.
Abdul Haji replaced nominated Senator Beatrice Ogolla in the Energy Committee, while Agnes Kavindu was nominated to the Senate Information, Communication and Technology Committee, also replacing Ogolla.
Ogolla, in turn, was reassigned to the Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Committee, replacing Kajwang’.
Unlike other senators affected by the reshuffle, Sifuna was not appointed to another committee. He now remains a member of only two Senate committees: the County Public Accounts Committee and the National Security, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee.
Sifuna’s removal is likely to fuel further debate about internal tensions within ODM, where differences have emerged over the party’s relationship with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
The Nairobi Senator has been among the most outspoken critics of ODM’s cooperation arrangement with the government and is widely associated with the party’s “Linda Mwananchi” faction.
Oburu, who assumed a more prominent leadership role within the party following the restructuring of ODM’s top leadership, is perceived as being aligned with members advocating continued engagement with the government under the broad-based political arrangement.
The disagreement between the two leaders has increasingly played out in public.
Earlier this year, Sifuna openly questioned Oburu’s leadership and called for a National Delegates Convention to allow party members to elect officials afresh.
“I refuse to be the SG of mediocrity. I refuse to be the SG of Oburu Oginga,” Sifuna said during one of the party’s internal disputes.
Sifuna had become one of the most visible members of the Senate Energy Committee, particularly during investigations into the controversial proposal involving India’s Adani Group and the planned expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
He was among lawmakers who aggressively questioned aspects of the proposed deal before the government eventually terminated the arrangement.
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His removal from the committee is therefore expected to attract political attention, especially given his prominent role in several high-profile oversight matters.
While no official reason has been given for Sifuna’s removal, the timing of the reshuffle is likely to be interpreted through the lens of ongoing factional battles within ODM.
The party has in recent months faced internal disagreements over strategy, leadership and its evolving relationship with President Ruto’s administration.
Political observers say the latest committee changes may reflect broader efforts to reposition key figures within the party as ODM continues to navigate its role in Kenya’s changing political landscape ahead of future electoral contests.
