Manyora: Sifuna has now become bigger than ODM party
By Mabonga Makhanu, March 9, 2026Political analyst Herman Manyora has come out to state that the embattled Edwin Sifuna has now become bigger than his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party.
While speaking during his daily analysis of the country’s political situation on Monday, March 9, 2026, the outspoken analyst stated that Sifuna, who has been taking political circles by storm, has now automatically outgrown his ODM party and is destined for much bigger things than the secretary general position that he was recently removed from and later reinstated to by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT).
“Sifuna is way beyond ODM. Sifuna has achieved a new space, a new identity which is bigger than ODM.”
He went on to state that even a running mate position could be too small for Sifuna, suggesting that by 2027, it could be Sifuna himself looking for someone to deputise for him.
Manyora also dismissed calls attempting to tie Sifuna strictly to Western Kenya politics, saying that the Nairobi senator has already moved beyond his Luhya backyard and has become a national political figure capable of influencing the next general election.
The professor further added that Sifuna’s bright political future had been predicted long ago.
According to him, even before the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga passed away, there were signs that he could have settled on Sifuna as a surprise candidate for the 2027 presidential race had he been alive.
Savula’s view
This view contradicts that of local leaders from the Western region led by Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula, who compared Edwin Sifuna’s rising popularity to a bushfire that starts with a lot of pressure and havoc but is quickly put out.
Savula also labelled Sifuna’s political activities as “moto ya gazeti”, suggesting that the momentum surrounding the Nairobi senator will soon fade away.
He noted that Sifuna and his fellow Babu Owino, his counterpart in the Linda Mwananchi movement, are going nowhere politically, arguing that the influence they have been enjoying in recent months will soon die down.
According to Savula, Sifuna’s sudden excitement among the masses is largely driven by the internal wrangles within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), something he believes will not sustain the senator for long.
He further argued that Sifuna’s current political activities appear to lack a clear long-term end goal.