Oburu convenes high-stakes weekend retreat after youths meetings

ODM is set for a high-stakes weekend retreat, to, among others, consolidate support and chart a way forward for the outfit.

The three-day retreat follows a series of back-to-back youth conventions in the last week.

ODM has in recent days convened meetings in Kisumu and Malindi attended by thousands of its youthful supporters.

The meeting starting on May 1, through to 3 in Mombasa, will bring together members of the National Executive Committee, ODM parliamentary Group and party elected governors.

The meeting is part of the party’s activation programme to popularise and strengthen the outfit.

Insiders say the retreat will focus on recalibrating strategy, strengthening grassroots networks and addressing emerging concerns raised during the youth engagements held across several counties.

The retreat will also centre on managing growing internal pressure, with sections of leaders reportedly uneasy with the direction the party has taken.

The Star has also established that the Mombasa meeting will also deliberate on the impending talks with President William Ruto’s UDA.

The retreat comes at a time when the party is experiencing deepening internal divisions that threaten to fracture the party, with the rival Linda Mwananchi faction piling pressure on the leadership.

The emergence of the Linda Mwananchi faction has further complicated the situation, with its leaders openly challenging the status quo and laying claim to the party’s top leadership.

Siaya Senator James Orengo, a member of the rival faction, has declared himself the party leader, insisting that Oburu’s election was irregular.

Their aggressive claim to leadership has rattled sections of the ODM establishment.

ODM national chairperson Gladys Wanga over the weekend dismissed Orengo’s self-declaration as noise, insisting the party’s structures have endorsed Oburu as the legitimate party leader.

“All of us know that ODM has structures and recently, through the Special Delegates Conference and all delegates endorsed Oburu as party leader,” Wanga said in Mombasa on Monday.

“The rest (you are hearing about) are just noise.”

 The meeting also comes at a time when some members have raised concerns about the manner in which the party is being run.

 Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo, over the weekend, talked of the mistreatment of members, noting that such actions risk backfiring and elevating dissenting voices into symbols of resistance.

 She pointed to the experience of Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, arguing that how he has been handled internally has only strengthened his public standing.

 “Our mistreatment of Sifuna is what has made Sifuna a hero. So let us be careful the way we are dealing with our issues,” she said.

 Millie also revealed that she had previously faced intimidation for speaking out, alleging that individuals were sent to attack her after raising concerns within the party.

 She further claimed her attempts to address internal issues were met with hostility, including being shouted down during a gathering in Kisumu.

 INSTANT ANALYSIS

 As the retreat unfolds, all eyes will be on whether ODM can navigate the internal storm or whether the intensifying battles will leave lasting scars on one of the country’s most influential political outfits