Gakuya: No one will deliver the ODM party to Ruto in full
By Faith Lagat, February 10, 2026Embakasi North MP James Gakuya has dismissed suggestions that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) could be handed wholesale to President William Ruto ahead of the 2027 General Election, warning that the party is headed for an irreversible split.
Speaking in an interview on February 9, 2026, Gakuya said any attempt to push ODM fully into the Kenya Kwanza fold without following proper party procedures would be doomed.
“Every single effort to make sure that this party gets away with a buru… remember, who is the custodian of the instruments of the party? The instruments of party custodian is the Secretary General. Who is he? He’s one Sifuna,” Gakuya said.
He emphasised that only ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna can legitimately convene a National Delegates Convention (NDC), the only organ empowered to sanction major decisions such as mergers, coalitions or endorsements.
Any changes effected without Sifuna’s involvement, Gakuya said, would be null and void and challenged in court.
“Don’t think that it’s going to be a small battle. This battle will be taken to court. It is not going to be easy and it’s not going to be a walk in the park,” he warned.
Party split likely
Gakuya predicted that while a faction sympathetic to the government might break away to endorse President Ruto, the core of the party under Sifuna’s control would remain opposed.
“There will be a portion, which will very easily move to endorse William Ruto and that ODM package. But which ODM will be that? Because this ODM, where it is heading, it is split into two,” he said.
He was unequivocal that the anti-coalition wing would prevail in any legal showdown. “We are not going to beat Sifuna in court. We’ll beat you hands down,” Gakuya said.
Coalition debates intensify
The remarks come amid growing tensions within ODM over its relationship with the ruling Kenya Kwanza alliance.
Several senior party figures, including National Treasury CS John Mbadi, have accepted cabinet positions following a 2024 cooperation agreement, while other leaders push for deeper integration with UDA ahead of the 2027 elections.
Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has led vocal resistance, publicly stating he will not support President Ruto’s re-election and warning that any deal bypassing party structures would spell political suicide for ODM. Rival rallies by pro- and anti-coalition factions have further highlighted the divide.
Gakuya, however, stressed that President Ruto cannot secure the entire ODM machinery. “Nobody can tell you that you will be able to deliver this ODM to William Ruto in full. This one is a nightmare… it wouldn’t be a walk in the park,” he said.