Saboti Member of Parliament (MP) Caleb Amisi has cautioned the Orange party leaders against what he termed as growing internal chest-thumping and factional hostility.

Taking to his official X account on Thursday, January 1, 2026, Amisi warned that the behaviour risks tearing apart the ODM party ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Amisi’s remarks come in the wake of strong statements by ODM party leader Oburu Odinga, who declared that he would be the party’s automatic presidential candidate should ODM opt to contest the 2027 polls independently, citing provisions of the party constitution.

However, Amisi expressed concern that ODM leaders were increasingly engaging in public confrontations and name-calling, a trend he said was alien to the party’s long-standing culture under its late leader, Raila Odinga.

“ODM leaders must avoid this tendency of chest thumping. All factions therein—whether the Uhuru wing or the Ruto wing. This is not how Baba would do it,” Amisi said.

Loss of ODM members

The Saboti MP warned that internal disagreements, if mishandled, could alienate supporters and weaken the party’s electoral prospects.

“A small divergence of views; they want to chase members away. Calling each other names. So, who will vote for you as an ODM candidate? Baba must be turning himself in the grave in dismay! Kenya needs a renaissance,” he wrote on X.

Oburu’s remarks

ODM party leader Oburu Oginga has declared that he will be the party’s presidential candidate should ODM opt to contest the 2027 General Election on its own, insisting the matter is already settled by the party’s constitution.

Speaking during a New Year address to Kenyans, Oburu said the ODM constitution is explicit that the party leader automatically becomes its presidential candidate if the party decides to go it alone.

“If we are going it alone, I want to make it absolutely clear that our constitution already has a presidential candidate for our party. That presidential candidate is clearly stated in the constitution of our party, and it is the party leader. I am the party leader speaking. I am the presidential candidate for ODM if ODM decides to go it alone,” Oburu said.

He warned party members against harbouring parallel presidential ambitions within ODM, stating that anyone seeking the presidency under a different arrangement should look elsewhere.

“So, anybody preparing themselves to go for presidential elections in ODM, I think they are misplaced. If they want to go for presidential candidacy, they should look for another party because the presidential candidate has already been decided by the party constitution,” he added.