The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has re-emphasised not having chosen one camp in the emergent one-term or two-term political debate ahead of the 2027 general elections, with party officials declaring that consultations were still going on internally.

Speaking in an interview with a local radio station on Thursday, April 16, 2026, ODM acting Secretary General, Catherine Omanyo, has indicated that the party is still informed by previous consultations that have been conducted at the party leadership and that there is no formal directive compelling party members to become inflexible political camps.

“There is no one-term or two-term. If we remember before Baba. The last supper we had with Baba, he advised us that although we are supporting the government, we are not to say ‘wantam’ or ‘tutam’ yet until negotiations, and he said that we will support the government until 2027 and then see the way forward.

“What do we do after 2027? So either way, Linda Mwananchi or Linda Ground, if anyone says ‘Wantam’, they are wrong; if anybody says ‘Tutam’ they are wrong, and even our party leader Dr Oburu recently reminded all of us that there is no one term or two terms. So no team should look so correct by saying one term and the other,” Omanyo remarked.

Omanyo cited a previous encounter with the former ODM party leader, the late Raila Odinga, who she says told the party members to refrain from taking a political stance until negotiations with the government side are done.

ODM to support government until 2027

She explained that the party had agreed to support the government activities until 2027, when it would review its political course.

The ODM official also warned the Linda Mwananchi and Linda Ground factions of the ODM party about the current political slogans. She highlighted that ODM has been working on the idea of unity and well-organised discussion instead of partisan politics.

Omanyo referred to comments by a party leader, Oburu Odinga, who she says had told the party, ODM, not to take any formal position of one or two terms, which further supported the necessity of unity within the party.

She says that even among the supporters of ODM, slogans that seek to establish the early political positions of the party are likely to distort the official stand of the party.

The remarks follow an increasing political rhetoric surrounding the possibility of a second term by President William Ruto in 2027, with two opposing factions within the ODM party, the Linda Mwananchi and the Linda Ground, already aligning themselves either with or against his second term.

Omanyo, however, insisted that the main focus of ODM should be professional interaction with the government at the current political set-up, with any long-term electoral decisions to be left to a later consultation.

With Kenya approaching the 2027 political season, ODM’s message seems to be a way of calming down internal and external speculation by insisting that the party has not yet finalised the official agreement with the ruling side in regard to the next presidential race.