A fresh storm is tearing through the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), laying bare deep fractures in a party once firmly anchored by Raila Odinga’s commanding presence.
Former Makadara MP Reuben Ndolo is at the centre of the turmoil.
His comments, which are now being shared on TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, have shook up the political conversation in Kenya. In a video that has gone viral, Ndolo makes a direct and angry claim:
“Sisi kama Linda Mwananchi ndio tuko na certificate halisi ya ODM.”
The battle for ODM’s ‘legal soul’
The implication is unmistakable: the Linda Mwananchi faction, aligned to Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, holds the party’s authentic certificate.
In Kenya’s political order, that certificate is no mere document. It is the legal spine of a party, the authority that validates leadership, controls nominations, and defines legitimacy.
Ndolo’s assertion therefore recasts ODM’s internal wrangles as something far more consequential: a battle not just for influence, but for ownership.
He presses the point further, suggesting Sifuna’s camp effectively controls the party’s operational core.
If true, it sketches a stark reality, a party split not just in voice but in command, where multiple factions speak for ODM, but only one may hold its legal heartbeat.
Disciplinary storm brews
Yet even as Ndolo’s claims ripple outward, another front has opened.
On Thursday, reports emerged that a rival faction linked to Oburu Odinga and Gladys Wanga has moved to summon Sifuna to face disciplinary proceedings.
The move, seen by observers as a direct pushback against Sifuna’s growing influence, underscores the deepening fault lines within the party.
It also raises a critical question: can a faction seeking to discipline Sifuna truly coexist with claims that he controls the party’s legal nerve centre?
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Social media erupts
Across social media, the reaction has been swift and polarised. On X and Facebook, some users speak of an “ODM civil war”, while others dismiss the unfolding drama as political theatre.
Still, beneath the noise lies a shared recognition – the party’s once-clear chain of command is fading.
A party without a centre
That drift has been sharpened by the absence of Odinga’s steadying hand. For years, internal disputes were contained, if not resolved, by his authority.
Now, without that centre, factions are no longer orbiting – they are colliding.
The unanswered question
Ndolo’s remarks do not settle the contest. If anything, they intensify it, dragging a simmering struggle into full public view.
And so, the question hangs, urgent and unresolved: who truly controls ODM?
READ ALSO: Why Raila Odinga’s ODM is Kenya’s Biggest Threat to Democracy
For now, the answer remains fiercely contested – and the party, once unified, increasingly resembles a chorus of competing voices searching for a new conductor.
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