Nairobi Women Representative Esther Passaris has criticised Nairobi Senator and ousted Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, saying his actions as party Secretary General have fallen short of party expectations.

In a statement made during a talk show aired by a local television station on Monday, February 16, 2026, Passaris expressed frustration over what she described as Sifuna’s disregard for the party’s established structures and directives.

She highlighted that despite repeated guidance from party leadership, Sifuna has continued to act according to his personal views rather than representing ODM’s collective decisions, adding that the National Executive Committee (NEC) realised that Sifuna does not respect the party structures.

“Senator Edwin Sifuna knows that ODM has structures, and as ODM SG, he has been an absolute letdown because he believes he is bigger than ODM. Through the NEC, we have realised that he doesn’t respect the structures towards the end. He doesn’t respect even the party leaders, that is really sad because I know there were on occasions when the party leader called him and told him to calm down, that the party is in 10 points agenda and in Broadbased government. He did not listen to Baba, which is really sad,” Passaris said.

She further emphasised that a Secretary General’s role is to convey the party’s official decisions, not to project personal opinions as official positions. She stated that Sifuna demeaned the broad-based arrangement and the party agreements on the 10-point agenda.

“As a secretary general, his role is to communicate what the party has decided by the various structures of the party, not your personal opinions. You can’t have a cake and eat it; you can’t be the SG, and then the party has gone into the broad-based arrangement, come out with the 10-point agenda and then you go out there, and you basically demean the arrangement.

Passaris stated that Sifuna can only express his dissatisfaction with the party’s direction as a person, but not as the Secretary General.

He can do that as a person, but not as an SG. Sifuna, as an SG, has let his personal opinions and his personal views become communications from the office that he holds,” she added.

She concluded by stressing that ODM members must uphold the party’s collective decisions and maintain respect for its hierarchical structures to ensure unity and coherent communication to the public.