Senator Oketch accuses Sifuna of using ODM for political survival
By Luke Oluoch, January 7, 2026Migori Senator Eddy Oketch has explained his bone of contention with Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, accusing the official of mischief and using the party to advance his own political ambitions.
In an interview with a local TV station on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, Oketch explained that his issues with the secretary general stemmed from his acts of political expediency.
According to the senator, despite enjoying closeness and the capacity to engage the party’s top officials and organs over issues he feels aggrieved about, the SG has chosen otherwise.
Oketch recently stepped up the fight to have the SG expelled through a letter dated January 5, 2026, in which the Migori senator asked the party to suspend, de-whip, and possibly expel Sifuna.
Mischief
“I read what I will call an excuse of mischief on Sifuna. I have nothing personal against Sifuna. He has found himself in this moral standing in the party because he is in a critical position, and he can use it for political or even commercial survival, going by his utterances,” he stated.
“He has the most powerful avenue that most of us as mere NEC members don’t enjoy. He can raise every single issue in the most critical organ of the party. If he fails to convince them on issues he does not believe in, then he should be able to stand by that position. He must differentiate his personal opinion from the official position of ODM,” he added.
His remarks come after Suba South MP Caroli Omondi criticised Oketch over his complaint seeking disciplinary action against Sifuna.
In a statement posted on X on Monday, January 5, 2025, Omondi said Oketch’s claims against Sifuna had no legal standing and accused him of pursuing a reckless political fight.
Caroli’s caution
“Senator Eddy Okech is once again the complainant against his colleague Senator Edwin Sifuna over allegations that have no legal legs to stand on,” Omondi wrote.
He added that Oketch had previously taken a similar position against him and lost, with costs awarded against both Oketch and ODM.
In the letter to ODM dated January 5, 2026, the Migori senator asked the party to suspend, de-whip, and possibly expel Sifuna. Oketch claimed that Sifuna associated himself with rival political parties while presenting himself as ODM’s Secretary General. He also accused him of defying party discipline by publicly rejecting ODM’s support for the Broad-Based Government arrangement.
However, on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, Oketch withdrew the petition.