ODM Secretary General and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has condemned President William Ruto’s administration for what he termed as a continuation of repression and fear across the country, despite earlier promises for reform.

Speaking at Chungwa House during a meeting on Saturday, July 19, 2025, with a delegation of young women leaders known as the Young Captains, Sifuna said the government had failed to honour the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed during last year’s bipartisan talks between President Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga.

“That MoU was clear we wanted an end to police killings and political intimidation,” Sifuna said. “But to this day, extrajudicial killings continue, people disappear, and there’s no accountability.”

Referring to recent protests where multiple lives were lost, Sifuna recalled visiting Kenyatta National Hospital and seeing victims of police violence firsthand.

He said the deaths reflect a dangerous pattern of silencing dissent through state force.

“People are still afraid,” Sifuna said. “Even today, there’s no assurance that the rights of Kenyans will be protected under this government.”

He challenged narratives that all political parties are the same, arguing that dismissing them weakens public participation and hands power to unaccountable elites.

“Political parties are not perfect,” he said, “but they are the vehicles through which change must be driven.”

Sifuna also emphasised that staying outside politics is not an option for young people who want a better future. He urged the youth, especially women, to engage, organize, and lead.

“The state has shown it cannot be trusted to self-correct,” he said. “It is our duty to speak, to resist, and to rebuild.”

The meeting, held at the party’s Nairobi headquarters, aimed to encourage civic awareness and foster leadership among young women, many of whom are first-time organisers.

Sifuna reiterated ODM’s stance on human rights and justice, declaring: “We will not be silent. Not when Kenyans are dying in the streets.”