‘I will be Linda Mwananchi’s deputy party leader’ – Osotsi declares after ouster as ODM DPL
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, March 29, 2026Vihiga County senator Godfrey Osotsi has dismissed his removal by the party’s special delegates convention, declaring that he will continue serving as the ‘Deputy Party Leader of the People’ under the Linda Mwananchi faction.
Osotsi made the declaration on Sunday, March 29, 2026, during a Linda Mwananchi rally at Tononoka Grounds in Mombasa County. Osotsi described the convention’s decision as illegitimate and said that the faction that orchestrated his removal had no moral authority to strip him of his position, but he declared he was no longer interested in the position.
“Ile kundi linaitwa Linda Ruto walisema wameninyang’anya kazi ya Deputy Party Leader wa ODM. Ninawambia wakwende; kuanzia leo mimi nitakuwa Deputy Party Leader wa Linda Mwananchi!” Osotsi said.
Speaking before a large crowd, Osotsi affirmed that he would continue to champion the interests of ordinary Kenyans under the leadership of the Linda Mwananchi faction, signalling a growing split within the ODM party.
Ososti’s ouster
On Friday, March 27, 2026, Osotsi was removed as the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) deputy party leader following a Special Delegates Convention by the party at Jamhuri Grounds along Ngong Road in Nairobi County.
The decision was announced on Friday, March 27, 2026, by the National Assembly minority leader, Junnet Mohammed.
Osotsi has been replaced by the Kisii County Governor, Simba Arati, and the Mombasa counterpart, Abdullswamad Sherrif Nassir, who will be serving as the new ODM deputy party leader.
The decision to drop Osotsi from the deputy party leader position signals a major shake-up within the party’s top hierarchy, with the party seeking to target defiant members.
Oburu’s warns defiant members
Oburu Oginga, the newly ratified leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), delivered a firm message against indiscipline and internal chaos during the party’s Special Delegates Convention (SDC) at Jamhuri Grounds on Friday, March 27, 2026.
Speaking shortly after party delegates formally endorsed him as the substantive party leader following the passing of veteran opposition icon Raila Odinga in October 2025, Oburu vowed that ODM would not tolerate actions that undermine its democratic structures.
“I will not encourage indiscipline in the party because democracy does not mean chaos,” Oburu declared.