Busia Governor Paul Otuoma, speaking after the Kakamega conference, admitted the party faces challenges that must be addressed urgently.
Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa assured Raila the party remains strong in the county. But some MPs accused him of sidelining elected leaders.
ODM leader Raila Odinga speaking in Nyakach on August 16, 2025. He urged the government to use the 1963 boundary beacons to end recurring clashes along the borders.
Disquiet is growing within ODM in Western as leaders jostle for influence ahead of the 2027 general election.
The rifts became visible during the party’s first delegates’ conference at Golf Hotel in Kakamega on July 25, graced by party leader Raila Odinga.
Only four MPs—Tindi Mwale (Butere), Johnston
Naica (Mumias West), Innocent Mugabe (Likuyani) and host Titus Khamala
(Lurambi)—attended the meeting.
A majority of Kakamega legislators, including
Nabii Nabwera (Lugari), Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo), Bernard Shinali
(Ikolomani), Christopher Aseka (Khwisero), Peter Nabulindo (Matungu) and Woman
Representative Elsie Muhanda, skipped the event.
The conference was meant to prepare for ODM’s
20th anniversary celebrations and its National Delegates Conference (NDC) in
October, where national officials will be elected.
Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa assured
Raila the party remains strong in the county. But some MPs accused him of
sidelining elected leaders.
“How can Baba [Raila] ask Barasa to organise a meeting
and expect us to attend, yet officials were bypassed?” an MP, who
skipped the meeting, told the Star.
Busia Governor Paul Otuoma, speaking after the
Kakamega conference, admitted the party faces challenges that must be addressed
urgently.
Cracks deepened on August 8 at the burial of
Ayub Adikor in Amagoro, where former Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong and
ex-Woman Representative Florence Mutua—once staunch ODM loyalists—appeared to distance
themselves from the party.
“ODM has lost us. Mutua and I fought to hold
the party together here. We should discourage nominating people for elective
seats through parties,” Ojaamong said.
Mutua declared she would not back ODM in Busia
but instead support individuals ready to serve, regardless of party tickets.
“I will vie for the Busia woman rep seat in
2027. I might as well run as an independent candidate,” she said.
Even as some leaders expressed discontent,
ODM’s regional coordinator Justus Kizito insisted the party remains intact
despite what he termed “sibling rivalry”.
Kizito, a former Shinyalu MP, attributed the
wrangles to personal interests and leaders undermining each other.
“When leaders fight, it doesn’t mean the party
is falling apart. Our grassroots structures are intact and our support base
remains strong,” he said.
Party unity will face another test on Monday
when the National Elections Coordinating Committee (NECC) conducts county
delegates’ elections to pick county officials.
The polls will be held in all counties except
Migori, Nairobi, Homa Bay and Kisumu.
For ODM, Western remains a crucial
battleground in 2027, but the widening cracks underscore the delicate balancing
act Raila must manage as the party marks two decades of existence.
Instant analysis
ODM’s widening cracks in Western Kenya expose deeper struggles over succession, influence and party cohesion ahead of 2027. Raila Odinga’s reliance on Governor Fernandes Barasa to organise events has alienated some MPs who feel sidelined, fuelling perceptions of internal favouritism. While regional coordinator Justus Kizito insists ODM’s grassroots base is intact, the growing mistrust among elected leaders could erode the party’s dominance in Western. Upcoming county delegate elections will be a litmus test of ODM’s internal unity.
