Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has stated that the ongoing ODM “Linda Ground” meetings are not being bankrolled by the party’s accounts.

Speaking during an interview with a local TV station, the outspoken senator, who has recently been heavily critical of the party’s trajectory heading into 2027, stated that the Linda Ground forums are being financed from elsewhere.

He noted that, as the secretary general and a signatory to ODM’s bank accounts, he has not signed off on any monies to be used for such functions.

He went ahead to state that the last funds released from the party’s accounts were used during the ODM 20th-anniversary celebrations at the coast.

He claimed those expenses cannot even be compared to what is being spent on the Linda Ground forums, which are aimed at gathering views from ODM delegates countrywide on whether the party should form a coalition with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

“‘I can state authoritatively here that the money and the resources you see being spent in those ODM rallies, the so-called Linda Ground forums, are not coming from ODM headquarters,” Sifuna stated.

“Where are they coming from? You will have to ask them. I can only account for the money that I sign for because I am a signatory to the bank accounts. Forget this rubbish you hear people saying; Timothy Bosire, the treasurer, and I are the signatories to the bank accounts. The last money we expended as ODM officially was for the ODM @20 celebrations in Mombasa, and it was a fraction of what we saw there.”

Linda ground forums

This comes at a time when a section of the ODM fraternity is opposed to the Linda Ground forums being conducted by a faction led by party leader Oburu Odinga.

These forums initially took place at Kibra and Kamukunji grounds before moving to the Western region, specifically Kakamega and Busia counties, and subsequently to Kisii and Nyamira counties.

The purpose of these meetings is for the party to engage grassroots delegates regarding the Central Management Committee’s decision to form a pact with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). 

The ODM Deputy Party Leader Geodfrey Ososti, who is opposed to these functions, has spoken out against the forums. He claimed that he was not informed when the meetings were held in Western Kenya and was never involved, despite his senior position as deputy party leader.