Uthman Bakari
Mombasa.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) marked its 20th anniversary at the Mama Ngina Waterfront on Saturday with a mix of nostalgia, grief, and unmistakable political tension, as senior figures openly wrestled with the party’s direction in the wake of Raila Odinga’s death.
What was meant to be a celebration of unity quickly exposed widening rifts over succession, coalition politics, and the soul of the party ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Thousands of orange-clad supporters thronged the coastal venue for the multi-day festival—running through November 17—featuring archival documentaries, musical performances, and a founders’ dinner. The mood, however, was unmistakably somber.
Exactly one month after Raila’s passing, a minute of silence led by ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna saw many break down, including Raila’s daughter, Winnie Odinga, who urged the movement to “move on, but never move away” from its founding ideals.
In a significant political gesture, President William Ruto arrived in Mombasa for the ODM@20 anniversary celebrations and is expected to attend the ODM Founders’ Dinner, marking one of the most symbolic appearances by a sitting president at an ODM event in recent memory. His arrival adds a new layer of intrigue to a party already divided over whether to deepen its cooperation with his administration or reclaim its traditional opposition posture.
But beneath the emotional tributes, the succession scramble was in full view.
At the center of the friction is ODM’s increasingly uneasy relationship with President Ruto’s broad-based government. Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho—now a visible ally of the administration—found himself at odds with coastal leaders loyal to Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir. Joho’s supporters insist that any 2027 coalition strategy must reflect their preferred leadership path, while Nassir’s camp accuses them of dragging ODM toward UDA by stealth.
The disagreements spilled onto the plenary floor, where calls to return to ODM’s firebrand opposition roots clashed with arguments for pragmatic cooperation with the government.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino—never one to mince words—inflamed the generational divide. He accused unnamed party elders of freezing him out of key leadership spaces despite his political muscle, warning that ODM “will not hesitate to go back to the streets” if the government mishandles the cost of living crisis. His speech, met with chants of “Babu for president!”, underscored a youth-led push for a more confrontational posture. Curiously, his fiery address came after reports that he had initially skipped the event for engagements in Nairobi.
Winnie Odinga added her own explosive charge, alleging that “powerful individuals” within ODM were secretly negotiating to “sell the party” while posing as loyal diehards. Her accusations revived memories of past betrayals and heightened fears that Raila’s absence has opened space for political opportunism.
“They pretend to support the party publicly, but behind closed doors they plot against it,” she warned, drawing loud approval from the crowd.
ODM Party Leader Oburu Oginga and Deputy Party Leader Simba Arati attempted to calm the waters, urging members to recall the movement’s “unbwogorable spirit” forged across two turbulent decades.
Suna East MP Junet Mohamed celebrated ODM’s survival in Kenya’s unforgiving political landscape, arguing that its ability to “bend without breaking” has kept it intact where other parties have faded.
Still, as the anniversary celebrations continue, analysts caution that the internal strains laid bare in Mombasa could weaken ODM’s standing as the country’s largest opposition force.
The party’s participation in Ruto’s cabinet already unsettled a segment of its base, and Saturday’s exchanges signal a prolonged battle between those courting government proximity and those demanding a return to combative street politics.
With 2027 fast approaching, ODM faces a defining test: reconcile its factions or risk splintering at a moment when the country’s political landscape is wide open. For now, chants of unity filled the coastal air—but the undercurrents of division were unmistakable.