Abdulswamad Shariff says disagreements in ODM started when Raila was alive
By Francis Muli, March 25, 2026Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir has dismissed claims that recent divisions within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) signal the party’s collapse, saying internal disagreements have existed even during the time of party leader Raila Odinga.
Speaking to local TV station on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, Shariff noted that differences among members are not new and should not be interpreted as a sign of weakness within the party.
“Even when Baba was alive, there are a lot of people who also fell out for various reasons. It doesn’t mean that the party fell.ODM 20 years plus, is still strong despite not holding the top office because we have structures that need to be respected,” Shariff said.
He further claimed that external forces are working to destabilize the party but expressed confidence in ODM’s resilience.
“We know that there are people out there who wish for us to be weakened; we know there are people out there who are going out of their way to try and burn this house down,” he added.
“At the end of the day, you do not burn a house that is made of ice by using extra ice. We have survived everything else. What else is there?”
On coalition politics, Shariff insisted ODM would approach any negotiations as an equal partner and not a subordinate player, revealing that the party is eyeing the Deputy President position.
“We have said that when we sit at the negotiating table as ODM, we come in as equal partners; we are not minors. When we go and sit, we are saying the first thing we are after is the Deputy President as ODM. Thereafter, internally, we are going to sit down… I have been open that I feel that it should be Hassan,” he added.
“There have been others who have said that Gladys deserves to be the DP of this country. Whoever it is, as long as it is from ODM.”
Shariff also defended the party’s identity and legacy, emphasizing that ODM will not be dissolved or replaced by any other political outfit.
“FORD is not ODM. FORD was not ODM. There is no other party that is going to be ODM. We are not dissolving this party; we are not going to be doing anything because this is the only party in the country that has the highest level of membership all the way to polling stations, deep down into the veins of Kenyans,” Shariff added.
“This is the party that stood for devolution; this is the party that has been there through everything else. This is the party that has taught people the art of leadership, the art of politics in this country. This is a party that believes in the politics of talking.”
Shariff also recalled the level of trust former leader Odinga placed in key party members during the drafting of the MoU between ODM and UDA, highlighting the collaborative leadership style within ODM.
“On that day, Baba handpicked those who were going to draft that document. There was Gladys, Sifuna, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, me, and Baba’s lawyer, Paul Mwangi. The office that we used was Sifuna’s office. Even when we were drafting this thing, the level of trust that Baba had in us… he asked us if we were content, if we were satisfied, if everything was okay,” Shariff said.
“We told him we were very okay with it.”
He concluded by affirming the party’s strength and relevance in national politics.
“There is a reason why ODM is on the table because we are worthy of being on the table. If you are not sitting at the table, you are part of the menu,” he added.