Fanya Mambo: Sifuna is being forced to do things he does not believe in
By Mabonga Makhanu, August 2, 2025Political activist Fanya Mambo Kinuthia has weighed in on the challenges facing Edwin Sifuna within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party.
Speaking during a podcast aired on Saturday, July 2, 2025, he stated that Sifuna is currently being pressured to take positions that do not align with his personal beliefs.
According to Fanya Mambo, Sifuna’s recent public statements showed clear signs of discomfort as he delivered the party position supporting President William Ruto.
He observed that the ODM secretary general appeared uneasy and conflicted while reading out the statement, suggesting that it went against his convictions.
“Sifuna is being forced to read things he does not believe in; I could see it from his body language. He was totally uncomfortable saying that his position or his party’s position is the position of the party leader, which is to support William Ruto,” Fanya Mambo said.
Fanya Mambo further explained that Sifuna has always been consistent in upholding the rule of law and the sanctity of human life.
However, he believes the current political alignment within ODM is forcing Sifuna to defend actions and policies of the administration that he fundamentally disagrees with.
This, he noted, has left Sifuna struggling to balance loyalty to the party with his personal principles.
“Sifuna did not believe in the word he read; he wished he didn’t have to read that script. It was a terrible script. I am sure Sifuna had a bad sleep that night because he didn’t believe in that script. It was not him. He believes in the rule of law and the respect for human life.”
“He believes in the sanctity of human life. He was forced to read the opposite because supporting this administration is supporting the madness that is going around. It means supporting lies, which is very hard with Edwin Sifuna, so he read something that he did believe in, but he had to.” He added.
MoU signing
This comes days after the MOU signing. During the signing ceremony, Sifuna was tasked with reading the first five points of the 10-point agreement between ODM leader Raila Odinga and President William Ruto, alongside UDA’s Hassan Omar.
He emphasised the transparency of the process, stating, “We have taken the liberty of reading out this Memorandum of Understanding so that we are all clear on what it is and what it is not. As secretary general, I want to confirm that this document has been processed through the relevant party organs.”