Africa-Press – Kenya. Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma has said ODM will formally release a number of its senior leaders during the party’s upcoming National Delegates Conference (NDC), signalling deepening internal divisions within the party.
Kaluma said the move would target Siaya Governor James Orengo, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi.
“On March 27, 2026, we, the ODM party, will officially release Orengo, Babu, Sifuna and Osotsi to their Gachagua,” Kaluma wrote, in remarks that appeared to question the leaders’ loyalty to the party.
Kaluma further alleged that the four had aligned themselves with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua long before the death of ODM leader Raila Odinga.
The statement comes amid rising tensions within ODM, where factions have increasingly taken divergent political positions while maintaining affiliation to the party.
The NDC, scheduled for March 27, is expected to be a key decision-making forum where delegates will deliberate on the party’s leadership structure and future political direction ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Kaluma’s remarks also highlight the widening rift between leaders associated with different ideological camps within ODM.
A section of leaders, including Orengo, Owino and Sifuna, have recently been linked to the Linda Mwananchi narrative, which has been against the broad-based government arrangement.
On the other hand, leaders allied to Kaluma have supported closer cooperation within the broad-based framework, often referred to as the Linda Ground side.
Despite the apparent divisions, leaders from both sides have publicly maintained that they remain committed to ODM as a political outfit, even as disagreements over strategy and alliances continue to play out in public forums.
Separately, Owino has in recent weeks called for the NDC, describing it as the party’s highest decision-making organ.
He has previously expressed interest in the party’s leadership role, using the phrase “baada ya Baba ni Babu” to signal his ambitions following Odinga’s death.
Meanwhile, ODM leader Oburu Odinga has confirmed that the March 27 NDC will also provide a platform for the party to chart its political path, including potential negotiations with like-minded political formations.
He indicated that discussions with partners within the broad-based government, including UDA could form part of the agenda.
