ODM Party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has issued an assurance that he will not be the person responsible for dividing the party.
Speaking on Wednesday, January 7, Sifuna stated that he had previously pledged, during Raila Odinga's burial, that he would not be the one to destroy ODM, and reaffirmed that commitment.
He stressed that he remains open to engaging with any party member, regardless of past disagreements or personal insults, in the interest of unity.
"As I said at Mzee’s burial, it will not be me to wreck the ODM Party, it will not be Sifuna. I made that promise to Mzee, and I want to repeat it here. I want to tell you, there is no one in ODM, it doesn’t matter how many times or how badly you have insulted me, there is no one in ODM I will not sit down with.
"You have asked us to sit and talk. I am very prepared; it doesn’t matter what has happened between us. I am going to extend that olive branch," he said.
Read More
On her part, Mama Ida Odinga reflected on Raila's affection for ODM, describing the party as one of his great loves.
She explained that Raila’s leadership of ODM was grounded in continuous consultation and deference to the will of the people.
Mama Ida expressed her hope that these principles would be upheld and that the party would be preserved in his honour as a service to the nation.
"Raila also had another love and that is the love for the ODM. I thank the party and all the staff who served Baba in different capacities, for their dedication to him in life and in death. Baba ran ODM with dedication, with firm and fair hands.
"Raila ran ODM on the principle of constant consultations and always referring to the people. It is my wish that we can preserve the party in his honour as a matter of service to our country," she stated.
This comes a day after Migori Senator Eddy Oketch withdrew his petition seeking Sifuna's removal as the ODM Secretary General.
In a letter authored by his lawyers and addressed to the ODM Chairperson on Monday, January 5, Oketch said the decision follows consultations with the party’s top leadership and in respect of the late Raila Odinga.
"Following wide consultations with the Party Leader Senator Dr. Oburu Oginga and with utmost respect to the spirit of the founding Party Leader the late Raila Amollo Odinga who embraced dialogue even with his fiercest enemies as the most preferred method of dispute resolution, we have received further instructions from our client as hereunder," the letter read.
The lawyers explain that although the concerns raised against Sifuna still stand, Oketch has been persuaded to withdraw the motion and instead pursue resolution through party organs.
"Being cognizant of the breaches as outlined in our aforementioned letter and the offensive remarks made by Senator Edwin Sifuna both against the Party and its members, our client has in consultation with the Party Leader and the relevant Party organs been persuaded to withdraw the Motion Letter dated 5th January, 2026 and instead invoke Article 16(1)(g) of the Party Constitution which vests the powers to facilitate amicable resolution of disputes through Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms upon the Party Leader," the letter added.
Oketch called on the party leader to use constitutional powers to safeguard the party and its members who were affected by the issues raised in the withdrawn complaint.
"The Party Leader is therefore implored upon to exercise the said powers in order to protect both the Party and its members who have been victims of the wanton attacks which formed the subject of the complaint," the letter concluded.
