Homa Bay Town Member of Parliament Peter Kaluma has broken down the intrigue in party politics of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party.

Taking to social media on Sunday, February 23, Kaluma confirmed that there was division in the party, specifically concerning the strategy they would apply to ascend to power. He, however, stressed that there was no division at all in terms of the party's principles.

"There is no division in the ODM Party on principle, but on the strategy to capture power. All members agree that ODM must be strong and must field candidates, including presidential candidate, in all future elections," Kaluma stated.

In order to clinch the top leadership in 2027, Kaluma stated that the party had found itself at a crossroads with two opposing sides, each with its own strategy.

Homa Bay Town MP George Kaluma.

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Although all party members agreed that the party needed a coalition to win elections in multi-ethnic Kenya, Kaluma noted that it all came down to which coalition they would join; President William Ruto's or the opposition's led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

"And this is the point of disagreement and division between the apparent ODM antagonists. One side believes ODM should enter into a coalition with a Gachagua-led coalition consisting of Gachagua, Kalonzo, Eugine Wamalwa, Natembeya, and Matiang’i - to remove the President from power and enable Gachagua to have his revenge against Ruto," he clarified.

"The other side believes politics is much more than the pursuit of revenge and that Gachagua is a tribalist recently impeached for preaching ethnic and regional exclusion of Kenyans, especially members of ODM Party."

According to Kaluma, the latter group, which is supposedly rooted in the party's constitutional values of ODM would rather associate with President Ruto rather than Gachagua if a choice were to be made.

Ultimately, he noted, that both sides were pushing for the backing of Party Leader Raila Odinga, leading to the party squabbles currently being experienced in the party.

This explanation follows months of differing stances from top leaders in the long-running opposition party since the broad-based cabinet was formed in June 2024 to include top officials from ODM.

Edwin Sifuna, the party's Secretary General Edwin Sifuna for instance has kept on his onslaught for the Kenya Kwanza Government despite the supposed truce met through the formation of the cabinet. He has since received a lot of criticism.

The party's Nairobi branch chairperson, George Aladwa was the latest to add to this criticism when he warned him on Saturday, February 22, 2025.

''I want to warn Sifuna who refers to himself as the Secretary General of ODM that we have had many SGs who were way powerful like Ababu Namwamba and the rest. Even him, he will go the way Ababu did,'' Aladwa stated. 

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna (left), and Mining Cabinet Secretary Ali Hassan Joho (middle) during a press briefing at Chungwa House on May 14, 2024.

Photo

Ali Hassan Joho