Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has called for unity within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) amid growing factional battles threatening to split the party.
Speaking in an interview on KTN News, Ms Odinga said the persistent question of “which way, ODM?” can only be answered by reuniting the party and dismantling the emerging “Linda” factions.
“The nagging question of ‘which way, ODM?’ can best be answered after we bring the Orange house together and collapse all the ‘Linda’ factions,” she said.
Her remarks come at a delicate moment for ODM following the death of its longtime leader Raila Odinga on October 15, 2025. Mr Odinga, who had led the party since its formation in 2005, died at the age of 80 while undergoing treatment abroad, leaving a leadership vacuum in one of Kenya’s most influential political outfits.
In the aftermath, the party’s National Executive Committee appointed Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga as acting party leader, placing him at the centre of a sensitive transition period as ODM prepares for the 2027 General Election.
Even before Mr Odinga’s death, cracks had begun to show within the party. Disagreements over strategy, discipline and the party’s relationship with President William Ruto had fuelled tensions among senior officials.
At the heart of the current storm is a public fallout between Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Mr Oburu Odinga. Mr Sifuna, who also serves as ODM Secretary-General, has insisted the party must maintain a firm opposition stance and avoid appearing aligned with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Mr Oburu and his allies, however, have argued for structured engagement with the government, saying dialogue does not amount to surrendering the party’s principles.
The disagreement has spilled into public rallies and internal meetings, with both camps mobilising supporters, particularly in Nyanza and Western Kenya — regions considered ODM’s political bedrock.
Ms Odinga, a veteran politician and daughter of Kenya’s first Vice-President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, has previously served as Kisumu County’s first Deputy Governor and now represents the county in the National Assembly. Her intervention signals concern among senior party figures that prolonged infighting could erode ODM’s grip on its traditional strongholds.
With succession politics, regional interests and ideological questions now colliding, ODM finds itself at a crossroads.
Whether Ms Odinga’s appeal will steady the party remains to be seen, but her message was clear: unity, not rivalry, will determine the Orange party’s future.
