A split is emerging inside the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) after Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna publicly declared that he will not abandon Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, saying loyalty to former Prime Minister, the late Raila Odinga’s allies is not negotiable.
Speaking in Kitui County, Sifuna dismissed growing calls within sections of ODM for leaders to cut ties with Kalonzo, arguing that political friendships built over years of struggle cannot be erased by new alliances.
Sifuna told residents that his position is rooted in the history of working with Raila through three presidential campaigns.
"There is no day I will forget my friends, and there is no day I will forget former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's friends," he said.
The Nairobi Senator singled out Kalonzo and Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua as leaders who stood with Raila in 2013, 2017 and 2022.
"Kalonzo Musyoka and Senator Wambua were Raila's true friends; there is no day I shall forget them," Sifuna said.
He accused some politicians of trying to rewrite history now that ODM is working closely with President William Ruto’s UDA.
"Kalonzo walked with Raila in 2013, 2017 and 2022. Then someone gets a new sponsor and tells us to leave Kalonzo alone, yet we have gone through so much together," he said.
Sifuna admitted his stance has caused friction within the party, which is now led by Siaya Senator Dr. Oburu Oginga following Raila’s death in October 2025.
"The main problem between me and the ODM is that I said I know who Raila's true friends are, and we are not leaving them anytime soon," he said.
The remarks come just as UDA and ODM announced a 10-member joint team to draft a common manifesto for 2027 and formalize a coalition. The move has unsettled some ODM members who feel the party is moving too far from its opposition roots.
A section of ODM leaders have argued that the party should fully embrace the broad-based government and focus on delivering with UDA, rather than maintaining links with former Azimio principals like Kalonzo.
Sifuna’s public defense of Kalonzo suggests that not everyone in ODM is comfortable with that direction.
Kalonzo was Raila’s running mate in both 2013 and 2017 under CORD and NASA, and served as a principal in Azimio in 2022. Senator Wambua was also a key mobilizer for Raila in Ukambani.
Both leaders have stayed out of the current broad-based arrangement and have been critical of the UDA-ODM cooperation. By defending them, Sifuna is aligning himself with that history, even as the ODM party moves closer to government.
The widening divide reflects a bigger question facing ODM on how to balance newfound influence in government with loyalty to old allies and to its identity as an opposition party.
Kalonzo has positioned Wiper as part of a new opposition bloc ahead of the next General Election. He intends to contest the Presidency come August 2027.
