Oketch Salah: Raila told me that Sifuna is someone’s mole in ODM
By Mabonga Makhanu, December 25, 2025Oketch Salah, a politician and adopted son of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has claimed that Raila once confided in him that Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna was someone’s mole within the Orange Democratic Alliance (ODM) party.
Speaking during a function in Rarieda Constituency on Thursday, December 24, 2025, Oketch said that during Raila’s final days, the ODM leader told him he was closely monitoring Sifuna, as his political moves appeared to suggest he was working for forces on the opposite side of the political divide.
According to Oketch, Sifuna’s recent political actions have begun to vindicate Raila’s earlier concerns. However, he noted that Raila deliberately chose not to interfere with Sifuna’s conduct, believing that he should instead be judged and disciplined by the consequences of his own decisions.
“One thing that Raila once told me that I have now seen happening is about Sifuna. He once told me to forget about Sifuna, saying he was closely observing him and that he might be someone’s mole, and it has now begun to show. Sifuna has begun to show that indeed he was being used by someone, just like Raila told me,” he said.
Sifuna quitting ODM
Oketch cited past remarks by Sifuna in which the Nairobi senator stated that he would quit ODM should the party support President William Ruto. He argued that such statements demonstrated that Sifuna had no goodwill toward the party.
He also took issue with Sifuna’s recent ultimatum to ODM party leader Oburu Odinga, saying the senator had no authority to dictate the party’s direction.
Oketch described the remarks as disrespectful, questioning whether Sifuna would have dared to address the late Raila Odinga similarly.
He maintained that loyal ODM members would not allow Oburu Odinga to be disrespected.
Divisions in ODM
These remarks come amid growing divisions within ODM following the demise of Raila Odinga. Edwin Sifuna, among other ODM leaders, has claimed that some party members are plotting to auction ODM to President William Ruto.
However, he dismissed claims that Raila left the party in government, insisting that Raila had made it clear ODM would field its own presidential candidate in the 2027 general election.
Siaya Governor James Orengo has also weighed in on the unfolding standoff, distancing himself from any plan to support President Ruto’s re-election in 2027. Orengo has claimed to have credible evidence of a plot to auction the party, warning that ODM—having survived nearly two decades of competitive electoral cycles—risks losing its identity.
Meanwhile, Oburu Odinga has cautioned party members against issuing conflicting statements, particularly after agreeing on a unified direction for the party.
Salah concluded by stating that ODM should remain anchored to the path laid out by the late Raila Odinga, adding that Raila had personally told him the party should support President William Ruto’s re-election.