Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga finds himself in a fix as his close allies fight over whether to support President William Ruto’s presidential bid in 2027 or field their own candidate.

The tiff has seen Raila’s close confidants sharply differ in public in the presence of the former Prime Minister, something hitherto considered abominable.

Some of Raila’s allies have publicly warned their former colleagues who joined Cabinet they must not trade off the ideals of ODM party with the dalliance they are currently enjoying in government.

Though Raila has been criticising the government over some of its shortcomings such as abductions, he has maintained a studious silence over statements made by some of his allies to support Ruto’s re-election in 2027.

Last weekend, Siaya Governor James Orengo and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna hit out at Cabinet Secretaries from the Opposition saying they had turned out to be Ruto’s sycophants and members of his ‘praise and worship’ team.

Building discontent

The words of the two leaders pointing to a build-up of discontent in the ODM inner circle over falling into Ruto’s trap through the cabinet appointments, a move that cost the party support.

Raila who announced that he would exit local politics to concentrate on his AUC bid campaign has in the past condemned the abductions calling on President Ruto to stop forced disappearances of the youth

Orengo pointed out that ODM stands to lose in the future if it allows the ideologies that Kenyans associate the party with to be eroded at a time when they are supposed to be put into use.

 The Governor was referring to the wave abductions and extra-judicial killings that have been witnessed under the Kenya Kwanza two years in power.

“If you lose that identity for any easy victories, we are going to pay for it in future. Our loss of identity should never arise. And if we make compromises, there must be compromises that are justifiable before God. The law can never be suspended.

He added: “You must always live by the dictates of the constitution. If you suspend them, you may be happy now but, in the future, you’ll regret. We must stop extrajudicial killing so that we can build a truly democratic republic.”

Sifuna who is also ODM Secretary General told off those against his move tom criticize the government saying he was complying with the directions that Raila left to him as he focused on his continental post.

Joining Kenya Kwanza

The fireband Senator has all along been opposed to ODM’s top brass joining the Kenya Kwanza since their appointment in July last year.

“There are instructions that you left to me when you went after the AUC post. You me that we must retain the identity of the ODM party, as a beacon of hope for Kenyans and a party that is going to fight for justice all the time,” the Senator said.

Sifuna said swore to stick to instructions of the party leader despite claims from a section of Ruto allies that his antigovernment remarks cause Raila to miss his bid in AUC.

“Some people are telling me to remain silent even as leaders like Kiborek (Mogotio) and his friends claim that if Ruto’s votes in 2027 are not enough they will fill them up, or not to condemn the wave of abductions so that I don’t spoil your chances of being voted at the AUC,” he said.

He added: “When something is wrong, we all have a responsibility to say that it is wrong. And whether you win or lose at the AUC, I will hand back the party to you in the same status as you left it to me.”

But as if in direct response, Homa Bay governor Gladys Wanga told off Orengo and Sifuna, arguing that members of the Luo community were not born to permanently stick in the opposition.

“As stated in the book of Ecclesiasticus, there is time for everything. There is time for demonstrations and there is time to sit back and enjoy. It is now time for us members of the Luo community to be in government,” Wanga told a public gathering in Homa bay.

According to Wanga, those criticizing some of Raila’s allies supporting President Ruto are doing so out of envy.

“We shall always support what Baba (Raila) tells us. When he tells us to go right or left, we take that direction. He told us to work with President Ruto and we are doing just that,” Wanga said.

Homa Bay MP Peter Opondo Kaluma , National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed and  National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi have also come out insisting that they are in President Ruto’s government to stay.

Abductions

Kaluma was even more blunt when he told those complaining about abductions by State agencies to remember how remained silent when their people were being killed during the recent demonstrations against President Ruto’s government and in 2007.

“Some of those accusing us of working with the government remained silent when our people were being killed. They are the very people who rejected Raila in 2022 and they are now crying out loudly. They prepared their bed, and now they must lie on it,” Kaluma bluntly put it.

He added: “Some are still wondering if these people have truly joined us or not. We are not leaving!”

Though Raila is subtly criticizing Ruto through officials in his ODM party, former President Uhuru Kenyatta dropped a shocker last week when he called on the youth to fight for their rights and oppose bad governance.

“Don’t just watch as your wealth is stolen from you, everything is worth fighting for. If you do not fight for it, don’t cry later after it has been stolen,” Uhuru said.

He told the Gen-Z not to bow to intimidations meant to instil fear in them in order to silence them from fighting for their rights. 

“Gen Zs are the story of the future. Fight for your right to get what is rightfully yours. We will support you,” he added.

In December, after Uhuru and Ruto met in Ichaweri, it was speculated that the former President was headed to join the broad-based government especially after Ruto appointed veteran politicians from Uhuru’s backyard of the Central region to cabinet.

Ironically, the former President appeal to the youth, which irked leaders in Ruto’s camp, coincided with the swearing of the cabinet secretaries indicating that he had not involved in their appointment.

Ruto has been making desperate moves to contain public resentment against his administration by onboarding influential leaders in the Kenya Kwanza government.

Since June last year when antigovernment protests broke out, the President has had Opposition leader Raila Odinga and recently his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta to lower the rising political temperatures.

Last year, Ruto while seeking to neutralize mounting antagonism facing his administration engaged in horse trading with his political archrival Opposition leader Raila Odinga.

The President nominated Raila as Kenya’s candidate for the African Union Commission chairmanship and offered that the government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would fund his campaign.

Additionally, he appointed five key officials in Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) including the then National Elections Coordinating Committee Beatrice Askul former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, his former Kakamega counterpart Wycliffe Oparanya, the then National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi and nominated MP John Mbadi.

Before their appointment, Joho and Oparanya served as ODM deputy party leaders, Mbadi was the party chairman while Wandayi served as the Secretary for political affairs.

While Raila blessed the five ‘experts’ to join the cabinet amid deadly protests mobilized by Gen-Z over bad governance and rampant corruption in government he insisted that there was no coalition pact between ODM and Kenya Kwanza.  

“The five have joined the government in their individual capacities to do national duty and not as representatives of ODM party. When the President tapped these members, the party responded to the distress call of the nation and released them to serve the people of Kenya,” Raila said.