Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has once again voiced her unwavering support for Orange Democratic Movement Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, standing firm despite differing views within the party.
Speaking on February 18, 2026, during a local TV interview, Ruth said she disagrees with attempts to remove Sifuna from his leadership role and emphasized that her position is based on principle, not party alignment.
“I support Edwin Sifuna in many cases of what he does. But what the party feels is different. I am one of the people who opposed Sifuna’s removal,” Ruth stated.
Sifuna’s position has recently been under threat following a National Executive Committee meeting in Mombasa, which recommended his removal. The move, however, was blocked by the courts, preventing any immediate change.
In the interim, Busia Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo has been appointed acting Secretary General, with ODM leader Oburu Odinga endorsing her temporary leadership.
Ruth has consistently defended Sifuna in the past. Earlier this month, she addressed criticism he faced after questioning the source of funding for the party’s widely publicised Linda Ground rallies.
On February 5, 2026, she took to Facebook to challenge party members who labeled Sifuna a “rebel” for publicly raising concerns about the financial management of these high-profile events.
She highlighted that Sifuna had openly admitted on national television that ODM had not spent any party funds on these campaigns, which reportedly ran into millions of shillings.
This disclosure, Ruth argued, sparked necessary questions about whether governors, MPs, or undisclosed donors were financing the rallies and what they expected in return.
Ruth also raised issues regarding the implementation of the March 2025 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between President William Ruto and her late brother Raila Odinga, describing the process as slow and lacking political commitment.
She questioned why Sifuna’s public declaration that the MoU is effectively “dead” is being treated as treasonous.
“In recent months, Nairobi Senator and ODM Secretary-General Hon. Edwin Sifuna – alongside a group of party members and legislators frequently labeled as ‘rebels’ – has been at the center of a deepening political rift. This friction stems from the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) established between President William Ruto and the late former Prime Minister, Hon. Raila Odinga, in March 2025,” Ruth explained.
“But it is the attacks following his recent interview on Citizen TV that have got me wondering how fast political allegiances can shift. He questions the very things we have been questioning despite the online attacks by (hired?) bloggers.”
Ruth’s position underscores a growing divide within ODM as party members wrestle with internal disagreements, leadership decisions, and the political legacy of Raila Odinga.
