A standoff between police and a faction of ODM leaders played out in Nairobi on Friday after members aligned to the Linda Mwananchi group pushed through a security blockade to hold a parallel convention at Ufungamano House, deepening an ongoing leadership dispute within the party.
Anti-riot police had earlier sealed off the venue along Mamlaka Road, preventing delegates, leaders and journalists from accessing the premises where the Edwin Sifuna-aligned faction planned to stage what it called a “People’s National Delegates Convention.” The move created a tense scene, with barricades mounted and movement restricted around the area.
Despite the heavy deployment, the leaders went ahead with their meeting after gaining entry, insisting the gathering was lawful and warning security officers against interference.
Siaya Governor James Orengo, who was among those present, issued a strong warning to police once inside the venue.
“I want to tell the police that any action of assault on any one of us will follow you. We are a peaceful people. This meeting is properly convened,” he said.
He framed the standoff as part of a wider political struggle, adding:
“I want to announce here the liberation of Kenya to create a new constitution is here and we are prepared to die,” he said, adding, “We are telling the police today, don’t try anything stupid”
Siaya Governor James Orengo speaking at a past function/HANDOUT
Siaya Governor James Orengo speaking at a past function/HANDOUT
The meeting was organised in direct opposition to another convention being held by a rival faction of the party at Jamhuri Grounds, highlighting deep divisions that have emerged within ODM following the death of longtime leader Raila Odinga in October 2025.
Allies of Edwin Sifuna, including Godfrey Osotsi and Babu Owino, had earlier maintained that their meeting would proceed despite the police blockade, urging delegates to converge at Ufungamano House.
The faction insists its convention reflects the will of party members and has rejected the legitimacy of the rival gathering. Leaders aligned to this group have also “declared the rival convention illegal and signalled readiness to challenge any resolutions adopted there in court”.
At the same time, the opposing camp linked to Oburu Oginga went ahead with its own National Delegates Convention, setting the stage for a parallel process within the same party.
The dispute has laid bare a growing power struggle, with both sides seeking to assert control ahead of the 2027 general election.
At the centre of the disagreement are differing views on the party constitution, especially on the requirements for convening a Special Delegates Conference. The Sifuna-aligned group argues that such a meeting must either be approved by the National Executive Committee or backed in writing by at least two-thirds of delegates, conditions they say were not met by the rival faction.
The standoff has also drawn in the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, which allowed the rival meeting to proceed while at the same time upholding Sifuna’s position as secretary general pending the resolution of internal disputes.
This outcome has left the party operating under parallel centres of authority, adding to the uncertainty.
Friday’s events at Ufungamano House, marked by police barricades and defiant speeches, underline the scale of the divisions facing ODM as the battle for control intensifies.
