Justina Wamae says ODM being driven into self-destruction
By Kiprono Keileb, January 2, 2026Former Roots Party presidential running mate Justina Wamae has raised fresh questions about the internal state of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), saying there are deliberate efforts to weaken the party’s leadership to trigger chaos from within.
In a statement shared on X on Friday, January 2, 2025, Wamae painted a picture of a party she believes is being pushed toward collapse through calculated political engineering, drawing parallels with events that followed the 2022 General Election.
Wamae’s remarks come at a time when ODM has been facing public disagreements, factional rivalries, and growing unease among supporters over the party’s direction.
“The game plan was to plant the weakest (Yes, sir) ODM party leader, same to Jubilee takeover that was done immediately after the 2022 election,” she wrote
She argues that such a strategy inevitably breeds internal decay, with members turning against each other in pursuit of personal gain instead of collective goals. According to Wamae, this environment creates fertile ground for manipulation and endless power struggles that distract from serving the public.
“This enabled self-destruction, manipulation, division and endless fights amongst those who are greedy for the tokens available,” she wrote
Wamae stated that once leadership is compromised, unity quickly gives way to suspicion, infighting, and opportunism.
Despite the sharp criticism, Wamae distances herself from the unfolding drama, making it clear that she does not see herself as part of the internal battles she describes.
“Lakini hainihusu,” she concluded
Oburu’s remarks on ODM unity
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.