The battle for control of the political support base left behind by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has intensified, with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and ODM leader Oburu Oginga taking rival campaigns to regions that sustained the Orange party for decades.
Sifuna's Linda Mwananchi faction is seeking to establish a new political home for Raila's supporters, while the Oburu-led camp is defending ODM's traditional strongholds and insisting that the party remains firmly in control.
“We decided to start with Jacaranda to lay our claim on Nairobi,” Funyula MP Wilberforce Oundo said, explaining why the Linda Mwananchi movement chose the Nairobi venue for its mobilisation campaign.
Oundo, one of the leading voices in Sifuna's camp, claimed that ODM had lost its political influence in the capital and that the senator was emerging as the new political force.
“ODM is dead in Nairobi; Linda Mwananchi and the United Opposition will take over the capital henceforth. We want to tell them bye-bye from Nairobi and many other parts of the country,” he said.
The rival factions are now targeting Nairobi, Western Kenya, the Coast and Turkana in campaigns aimed at consolidating support ahead of the 2027 General Election.
But ODM national chairperson Gladys Wanga dismissed claims that the party had lost its traditional support base following the fallout with Sifuna and his allies.
“If a big tree falls, the birds will always scatter. We also had some turbulence after the death of our leader but we have steadied the ship; the vast majority of our people are still intact under ODM, so don't be worried,” Wanga said.
She pointed to the party's parliamentary strength, saying more than 100 MPs remained aligned to ODM.
Oundo said the decision to launch the movement at Jacaranda Grounds was deliberate, given the venue's association with Raila's political mobilisation.
“Whenever Baba wanted to do anything, there are only two places he went to; Jacaranda and the field in Kibra,” he said.
The movement has since taken its campaign to the Coast, where it held a rally in Kwale on October 31, with plans to visit Turkana before returning to Western Kenya.
“After the Kwale rally, we will go to Turkana, then we come back to Western Kenya,” Bumula MP Jack Wamboka said.
The planned visits come as the two factions seek to demonstrate their influence in areas where Raila enjoyed considerable support.
The divisions within ODM stem largely from disagreements over the party's cooperation with President William Ruto's administration. Sifuna and his allies have opposed the arrangement, arguing that ODM should retain its opposition identity, while Oburu's camp has defended engagement with the government.
The dispute has drawn in other opposition leaders, including Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who have indicated that they would support Sifuna if he emerged as the opposition's presidential candidate.
Kalonzo has, however, cautioned against rushing the process, insisting that opposition leaders must consult before settling on a flagbearer.
Sifuna's camp is also working to formalise its political structures. The Linda Mwananchi movement has scheduled a National Delegates Convention for November 13 as it seeks to strengthen its political vehicle and leadership.
The convention comes amid growing speculation about Sifuna's presidential ambitions and the possibility of a new political formation challenging ODM's traditional dominance in the opposition.
Wanga, however, maintained that the party was not worried about the emergence of rival political movements, insisting that ODM had retained its national reach.
“The vast majority of our people are still intact under ODM,” she said.
Oundo maintained that his faction was determined to expand its influence beyond Nairobi.
“Linda Mwananchi and the United Opposition will take over the capital,” he said.
Wamboka also insisted that the movement would continue its countrywide mobilisation, with Turkana and Western Kenya next on its itinerary.
