ODM leader Oburu Oginga has clarified the party’s position on the Deputy President seat ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Speaking on Wednesday, February 11, he said the seat remains a key target for the Orange Democratic Movement.
Oburu addressed claims that his earlier remarks had been misunderstood regarding ODM’s interest in the position and the current office holder.
"There was something that people misinterpreted. They claimed that I said that ODM does not want the DP seat, but that's the position we have our eyes on. What I said is that we do not have a personal grudge or issue with Kindiki, but that seat is a public position," he said.
Oburu also turned his criticism toward former President Uhuru Kenyatta, accusing him of sidelining ODM despite past political cooperation.
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"I would like Uhuru, who was the President. He was with my brother after the handshake yet he did not even give us one cabinet seat and he lied to us that he would deliver the presidency.
"He lied to Raila that he would make him the president, yet the election was stolen right under his nose, and he did nothing. Now we are asking him to let us do what we want to as ODM and that he stops interfering with ODM," he added.
This comes days after Oburu came out guns blazing against Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, after his past interview with Citizen TV exposed a deep rift in the party.
In a statement released on Friday, February 6, Oburu slammed Sifuna over some of the comments made in the interview, stating that it was misleading the party’s supporters and influencing the general discourse around ODM.
Responding to Sifuna, who had questioned the legitimacy of some of the party’s national officials and its organs, Oburu asserted that Sifuna himself was a product of the party’s processes regarding the elections of its officials.
Oburu, the brother of the late former ODM party leader Raila Odinga, seemingly accused Sifuna of having double standards, citing that Sifuna, despite initially ascending to the SG position without the approval of the National Delegates Convention (NDC), did not question the procedure at the time.
"When Sen. Sifuna questioned the legality of some national officials on the basis that they were elected by the National Governing Council, he overlooked a fundamental fact: he himself was elected Secretary General by the same organ in February 2018 and discharged the functions of that office fully and effectively until February 2022, when the National Delegates Convention subsequently endorsed him. One cannot selectively invalidate the very processes that conferred legitimacy upon oneself," he said.
Further, Oburu faulted Sifuna for struggling to distinguish between his personal opinions and official party policy, creating confusion among members and supporters.
''ODM has, since its inception, demonstrated fidelity to its Constitution and to the rule of law. The same principle has put every individual in their rightful position, including that of Sen. Sifuna. We want to state categorically that all Party officials are serving substantially and supported by the Party organ resolutions," he stated.
The party leader also criticised Sifuna on contradictory statements made regarding ODM entering into coalition talks with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
