Omanyo faults Sifuna's leadership

Busia Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo during an ODM meeting in Nairobi on March 27, 2026. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Busia Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo has criticised Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna over what she termed as poor leadership within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

This has escalated an already simmering internal dispute that has rocked the party in recent weeks.

Omanyo, who was appointed ODM’s acting Secretary General on February 11, 2026, following a decision by the party’s National Executive Committee to remove Sifuna from the position, accused the senator of sidelining her during her tenure as deputy secretary general.

In a TV interview on Monday, Omanyo claimed Sifuna rarely delegated duties to her, leaving her largely inactive in the party’s day-to-day operations.

“I was idle under Sifuna;. He never delegated anything, he took it all, did it all and he was a know-it-all. If you have such a boss you don’t stamp on his ego because it can backfire so I let him be,” she said.

According to Omanyo, despite holding the deputy position, she found herself with little responsibility  because Sifuna preferred to manage party affairs alone.

“I was so relaxed when I was the deputy of Sifuna, it is good to give credit where it’s due. He was good and never delegated to me, even when he was always absent,” she said.

Omanyo recounted that she only fully realised the extent of her responsibilities during an internal party meeting when the minutes were read out.

“I just thought he was joking and one day he would come back, but the day when Gladys read the minutes, my friend Esther Pasaris told me to wake up and that I am the deputy secretary general, political affairs, and that is when I realised it all,” she added.

Her remarks come amid intensifying divisions within ODM over leadership and the future direction of the party following the death of longtime leader Raila Odinga, whose influence had long held the party together.

ODM has recently been rocked by internal wrangles over party posts and authority, with factions emerging within its leadership structures.

"Sifuna's bitterness stems from his failure to secure a CS position,” she said.

The dispute escalated after Sifuna’s removal from the Secretary General position, a move that triggered protests from some members and led to the formation of a rival faction known as Linda Mwananchi.

The group, led by Sifuna, has challenged the legitimacy of the current party leadership under Oburu Oginga, who recently assumed a leading role within the party.

The growing divisions were on full display on Friday when ODM held a National Delegates Conference (NDC) while Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi faction organised a parallel meeting, highlighting the deepening split within the party.

"Whoever does not respect our Party Leader Dr. Oburu Oginga, has no place in ODM. Anyone who cannot accept discipline and party direction is simply not an ODM member," she stated.

Speaking at the parallel gathering, Sifuna suggested he was prepared to step aside from the role he had held for years, while launching a scathing attack on the party’s new leadership.

“It has been the honour of my life to be the Secretary General of probably the greatest politician this country will ever see, Raila Amollo Odinga,” he declared.

However, the Nairobi Senator made it clear he would not serve under the new leadership structure.

“I will not be the SG of mediocrity. After Raila Odinga, your characters don’t deserve me,” Sifuna said.

His remarks were widely interpreted as a resignation from the role or a refusal to serve under the new regime, signalling a sharp escalation of tensions within ODM.