The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has rejected an online document falsely claiming endorsements ahead of the Special National Delegates Conference scheduled for March 27, 2026.

The notice, which carried the signature of Oburu Odinga as party leader, proposed major changes, including creating a new deputy party leader position for Winnie Odinga and endorsing Babu Owino as secretary general.

ODM quickly dismissed the document as fake. In a statement posted on its official X account, the party said the notice had no legitimacy.

“The Party Leader does not sign NOTICES OF NDC/SDC or any other meeting of the party,” the statement read. “A NOTICE of a meeting of such a magnitude cannot be under 21 days. The Daily Nation Newspaper has no record of publishing the purported notice. FAKE on arrival.”

The said notice, dated March 18, 2026, and styled as if published on March 19, 2026, claimed to follow the ODM Constitution.

It included an agenda to receive a report from the National Executive Committee on resolutions from the ODM Nairobi Branch, approve a new deputy leader role for Winnie Odinga, endorse Babu Owino for Secretary General, and note the reinstatement of Caleb Amisi as Deputy National Organizing Secretary.

Party officials stressed that no such notice exists in official records. They said the proposed short timeframe – less than 10 days from the claimed date to the conference – breaches party rules, which require at least 21 days’ notice for major gatherings.

ODM faces factional tensions

The fake notice comes amid rising tensions within ODM, as factions prepare for parallel delegates’ meetings. The Linda Mwananchi faction has announced it will hold its National Delegates Convention (NDC) on the same day.

Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi said:

“On 27 March, we are holding an ODM people’s dialogue convention, which is going to run parallel to the NDC organised by the Linda Ground group. That NDC is illegal and undemocratic, and some ODM members have gone to court to question its legitimacy.”

Osotsi also warned that the Linda Ground faction could attempt to use Winnie Odinga to justify their actions, saying:

“I want to tell her as a caution to tread very carefully; those from Linda Ground would want to use her to justify what they are going to do on March 27.”

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino used a metaphor, likening Winnie’s position in the Linda Ground faction to a turtle in a pond:

“If she ditches it and joins the Linda Mwananchi side, she would have more political freedom and would be like a turtle in an ocean.”