Busia Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo has come out to state that she has no personal vendetta against Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.

While speaking during an interview with a local radio station on Sunday, April 12, 2026, the outspoken woman representative emphasised that despite the internal wrangles within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) that saw her elevated to serve as acting secretary general in Sifuna’s absence, their relationship remains professional and cordial.

She dismissed any claims of a feud or conflict between her and the Nairobi senator, noting that the last time they were scheduled to meet and speak was about two months ago, when they warmly exchanged greetings.

She added that many people have wrongly concluded that there is a personal vendetta between them due to the ongoing political developments within ODM, which she strongly denied.

“People want to imagine that I am an enemy of Sifuna. Sifuna is my friend; he is my brother. We have never been at war; I just happen to be in his shadows,” Omanyo clarified.

Omanyo-sifuna relationship

Omanyo further stated that their differences are mainly based on party opinions and political positions within ODM and not personal issues. She insisted that there is no animosity between them at a personal level.

She also noted that during Sifuna’s tenure, he did not delegate responsibilities to her as his deputy and was often handling multiple duties himself, leaving her with limited responsibilities despite her senior position.

She continued, stating that as a result of this, she decided to stay in the shadow of her then-boss just so as not to hurt his ego.

“I used to feel somehow idle while serving as Sifuna’s deputy; he used not to delegate anything to me. He was a know-it-all person,” she explained while stating what Sifuna must do to regain full ODM backing for SG role.

Sifuna’s ouster

This comes days after Sifuna, who had been ousted from his position as secretary general and replaced with Catherine Omanyo, had his case quashed by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT), which referred the matter back to the party to exhaust the internal dispute resolution mechanism, saying that it did not have the mandate to hear the case.

Sifuna, on his side, has maintained a hardline stance, saying that he will not serve as secretary general under what he termed ‘mediocre leadership’ like that of the current ODM party leader Oburu Odinga.

He stated that he could not serve as secretary general under someone like Raila Odinga for nine years and later work under Oburu Odinga, whom he views as more junior to his former boss. He told Oburu to look for his own secretary general, stating that he would not serve in that role.