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 The Orange Democratic Movement ODM has rubbished claims of disquiet within members of the party, terming them as a creation of the media.

In a press statement dated Tuesday, January 14, 2025, the party’s acting leader Anyang Nyong’o rubbished reports of divisions among members following the Central Committee meeting held on Friday, January 10, 2025.

Speculations over the implication of Friday’s crunch meeting were dispelled as a host of the party’s MPs drawn majorly from Nairobi forged a united front in their support of President William Ruto while accompanying the head of state to a church tour in Dagoretti North constituency.

Nyong’o has further disclosed the referenced meeting was convened as a normal in-house operation aimed at enhancing the democratization process of the party, and that it concluded in consensus.

Internal democracy

“At the conclusion of the meeting, our resolution were communicated to Kenyans in a well- attended press conference by our Secretary General. These resolutions captured our deliberations and reiterated our commitment to strengthening our party’s internal democracy and addressing the challenges facing our country,” the statement read.

The Kisumu Governor further lamented the section of the media over their systematic campaign aimed at misrepresenting the affairs of the Orange party.

“I have, however, been shocked and dismayed by stories circulating in sections of the media, insinuating that there was disagreements, even going as far as alleging fistfights during the meeting. Let me categorically state that nothing could be further from the truth. The meeting was conducted in a spirit if camaraderie, mutual respect and unity of purpose,” Ngong’o added.

More united than ever

“We are aware of a deliberate rumour-mongering machinery orchestrated by enemies of democracy in our country, whose sole mission is to destabilize our party. Let it be known that ODM is stronger and more united than ever, and we remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice, democracy and properity for all Kenyans. To those fueling these baseless rumours, we are ready and prepared to call their bluff,” he stated .

Additionally, ODM has demanded the media to accord them a balanced and accurate coverage while exercising its freedom to inform the masses.

“While we fully support media freedom, which is a cornerstone of our democracy, we equally call for fair treatment by the Fourth Estate. It is disappointing to note the consistent negative twist by the section of the media in reporting matters concerning our party, For instance, our regular and constitutionally mandated meetings are almost always labelled as ‘crisis’ meetings, despite their being part of the party’s calendar and aimed at advancing our democratic processes and addressing national issues,” he concluded.

Despite being co-opted into president Ruto’s broad-based government, ODM has find it an uphill task convincing its members to join party leader Raila Odinga in supporting Ruto’s government.

Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and Caleb Amisi have been the party’s most vocal critics of the Kenya Kwanza government.