‘Leave and join UDA’ – Sifuna dares ODM members praising Ruto

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party secretary general Edwin Sifuna has dared members of the party praising President William Ruto to quit the opposition party and join the president’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

Speaking on Sunday, January 26, 2025, during a church service at Eden Gospel Trumpet Ministry Dagoretti, Nairobi, Sifuna accused the members of siding with the government of the day of not knowing the origin of the Orange party, and its mission in the country.

“Kuna watu ndani ya chama changu cha ODM wamesahau chama kilitoka wapi. Wamesahau ni nini chama cha ODM kinasimamia. Wengina wananiambia sasa wamechoka kutetea wananchi. Wanasema hawakuzaliwa kukaa ndani ya upinzani. Mimi nitazidi kusimama kwa ukweli. Kama kitu ni kibaya, tutasema ni kibaya. Kama umechoka kutetea wananchi, umechoka kusimama na haki, we ondoka ndani ya chama uende uingie UDA mara moja ukue huko na Ruto,” he said.

“Kwa nini unajifanya unapenda rais sana, mtu ambaye anasimama na chama ingine, unasahau wewe ni mwana-ODM? Kama wewe umechoka na ODM ingia tu kwa Ruto direct ukue huko tujue nyinyi ni watu wa UDA na sisi tubaki kutetea haki za wananchi.”

Translated to;

“There are people in my ODM party who have forgotten where the party came from. They have forgotten what ODM stands for. Some people tell me now that they are tired of defending the people. They say they were not born to stay in the opposition. I will continue to stand for the truth. If something is bad, we will say it is bad. If you are tired of defending the people, you are tired of standing up for justice, leave the party and join UDA immediately and stay there with Ruto.”

“Why do you pretend you like the president so much, a person who stands with another party, forgetting that you are an ODM member? If you are tired of ODM, just go to Ruto direct and stay there. Let us know that you are UDA people and we remain to defend the rights of the people.”

According to Sifuna, most members from the opposition praising the government joined the opposition outfit just before elections.

“Wewe umejiunga na upinzani juzi, uliingia wiki mbili kabla ya nomination na ushachoka. Ushachoka unatuambia unataka kupumzika ndani ya serikali. Serikali ya wenyewe. Serikali ya wafisadi. Serikali ya wauaji. Serikali ya abductors,” he added.

Translated to;

“You joined the opposition the other day, you entered two weeks before the nomination and you are tired. You tell us you want to rest in the government. Other people’s government. A corrupt government. A government of killers. A government of abductors.”

Sifuna spells doom for UDA

This comes days after Sifuna expressed doubts about whether the Kenya Kwanza regime will secure a second term in the upcoming elections.

Speaking during a local radio show on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, Sifuna indicated that the current administration was on the verge of election loss and that they were aware of the shifting allegiances.

“After the political shift that happened, they know that they are living on borrowed time and Kenyans are just sitting there watching them. You cannot scare anyone. If the government was confident in its ability to convince people to give it another term, they would be speaking about the things that they have done between the election and now,” Sifuna said.

“This particular time in our country, we want to talk about our software. It doesn’t matter how many roads you build if you are going to abduct people for just criticizing you.”

In recent times, a section of ODM party members have been singing praises for the government after four senior ODM members were appointed to join Ruto’s cabinet. Some have even openly supported Ruto’s re-election bid in 2027.