Osotsi: Sifuna’s removal as ODM SG was decided at Ruto’s Kilgoris home
By Mabonga Makhanu, February 25, 2026Godfrey Osotsi has claimed that the decision to remove Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna as Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party secretary general was made at President William Ruto’s home in Kiligoris on December 27, 2025.
Speaking during an interview with political analyst Herman Manyora, the ODM Deputy Party Leader stated that the meeting was attended by all National Executive Committee (NEC) members except him and Sifuna.
According to Osotsi, Suna East MP Junet Mohammed had confided in him that the president himself stated that he did not want Sifuna and Osotsi to attend the high-level Kiligoris meeting, which has been the talk of the town within political circles for the past few months.
“There is this meeting that was held on December 27, 2025, at Kiligoris, home of President William Ruto,” Osotsi stated.
Linda Ground inception
He further added that during the same meeting, apart from discussing Sifuna’s removal from the secretary general position, they also deliberated on a raft of issues, including the ongoing ODM “Linda Ground” meetings championed by Oburu Odinga.
He claimed that the budgets and funds for these forums were decided in the presence of the president.
“Even this meeting you are seeing happening across the country, the Linda ground, the decision to have those meetings and their budget and everything were decided there. Even the removal of Sifuna was decided there,” Ososti added.
“This meeting was supposed to be the Central Committee of the ODM party, and in that meeting, there were only two key figures who were missing. That was Secretary General Sifuna and me.”
“Why were we missing? Because the President reportedly, and this is what Junet came to tell me recently when we met, said that he does want to see us, not see us.”
Osotsi also noted that the Central Management Committee (CMC) meeting held in Kilifi, which resolved that Oburu should lead the party in pre-coalition negotiations with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), was also decided at Ruto’s Kiligori residence.
Oburu Sifuna meeting
He continued to state that Sifuna, Oburu, and Junet were supposed to meet at the home of ODM Treasurer Timothy Bosire for Oburu to iron out the issues between Junet and Sifuna.
However, Sifuna waited the entire day for the two leaders, only for them to fail to show up. According to Osostsi, the president later advised Oburu not to engage Sifuna in any further talks.
Both Osotsi and Sifuna have been critical of the direction ODM is taking in preparation for the 2027 general election.
The two have maintained a hardline stance, a situation that has seen the party split into two factions: the ODM “Linda Ground” forum, led by Oburu, and the “Linda Mwananchi” team, led by Sifuna, each aiming to outdo the other.
ODM fragmentation
“Linda Ground” is adamant about forming a political pact with President Ruto and supporting him for a second term, a position that “Linda Mwananchi” strongly opposes. The latter insists that the party should field its own presidential candidate in 2027, arguing that this was the last known position of the late ODM party leader Raila Odinga before his demise.
Sifuna removal
This also comes at a time when Sifuna had been removed from the secretary general position but was reinstated by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT), setting the resolution of the matter for a later date.