Nairobi Senator and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has issued a bold ultimatum: he will resign from the party’s top position if ODM supports President William Ruto’s re-election bid in 2027.
Speaking during address at a fundraiser in Lukhome, Trans Nzoia County, Sifuna stated that personal conviction must override blind party loyalty, especially when the party risks compromising its core values.
“Since I am the Secretary General of the party, I will read all the resolutions from ODM, even if they insult me, except one. But the day the party decides it wants to support Ruto come 2027, that one I will not read,” Sifuna affirmed.
He warned, in no uncertain terms, “If they endorse Ruto, I won’t be a part of that.”
Sifuna’s remarks, dubbed the “Lukhome Declaration,” were echoed by fellow ODM leaders like Saboti MP Caleb Amisi, who warned of a mass walkout should the party forge an alliance with Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
“If you decide to work with Ruto in 2027, that will be the end of me and you,” Amisi declared.
Critics of the potential merger claim it would amount to “dancing on the atrocities” committed under Ruto’s administration citing the Gen Z protest killings, economic hardships, and a deteriorating public sector.
Sifuna, a vocal critic of the so-called “broad-based” government alliance, had previously told Citizen TV:
“The only reason I haven’t resigned is because there’s still some glimmer of hope that my party will eventually see the merger as untenable.”
Despite increasing pressure from within the party for his removal, Sifuna insists that only Raila Odinga can dismiss him. Odinga has defended Sifuna’s right to express independent views:
“Raila has said that this is a democratic party, and any member is free to speak their mind.”
However, deepening fault lines are evident, with ODM Nairobi chairman George Aladwa dismissing Sifuna’s claims, while party veterans like Junet Mohamed and Gladys Wanga have subtly signaled support for Ruto in 2027.
