ODM Party Chairperson Gladys Wanga has defended the party’s unity, saying the exit of leaders, including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, has not weakened the Orange Democratic Movement ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Wanga said ODM remained “firm and focused” despite what she described as a “tumultuous” period following the death of longtime party leader Raila Odinga, arguing that only a small number of elected leaders had left the party since his death.
“The party has remained firm and focused. We have lost a few members,” Wanga said in an interview on Hot 96 FM.
She said ODM had 15 governors, with only one having left the party’s fold, while it still had more than 100 MPs and senators.
Wanga dismissed suggestions that Sifuna had taken ODM supporters with him, saying large crowds at political rallies were not a reliable measure of electoral support.
“Right now, if you say the people have moved because of crowds, it’s a superficial answer,” she said, adding that the real test would come at the ballot.
She also questioned Sifuna’s ability to mount a successful presidential campaign, saying the opposition was unlikely to unite behind him or any other candidate.
“I can tell you, and we can even bet, this opposition they will not go to the ballot united,” Wanga said. “I can tell you for sure that unity is a mirage.”
She argued that the opposition had also delayed settling on a presidential candidate, giving the broad-based government an advantage as President William Ruto campaigns for a second term.
“By the time they sell this candidate to this country, it’s too late sana,” Wanga said, arguing that unlike Raila, none of the opposition figures had a comparable national network and household name.
Wanga confirmed that ODM would not field a presidential candidate in 2027, saying the decision had been reached during discussions involving ODM, UDA and the broad-based team.
She said ODM’s “irreducible minimum” in any coalition negotiations was the Deputy President position.
“If we are leaving the presidential slot, then the running mate is the next best slot and the worst that ODM can come out with,” she said.
Wanga declined to endorse Deputy President Kithure Kindiki specifically, saying ODM’s demand was about the party’s stake rather than an individual.
When asked how many votes ODM could bring to a Ruto-led coalition, Wanga pointed to the nearly seven million votes Raila received in the 2022 election.
“Say we’ve lost three million, maybe,” she said, adding that ODM retained strong support in Coast, Nyanza, Kisii and Nyamira. “We could bring to the table easily as ODM the seven million that we had.”
ODM has faced an internal fallout since Raila’s death in October 2025, with one faction backing continued cooperation with Ruto while Sifuna and other dissenting leaders had pushed for an ODM presidential candidate.
Sifuna was later removed from the party’s leadership and has pursued a separate 2027 presidential bid through Linda Mwananchi, which has endorsed him as its preferred candidate.