The Rise and Fall of Edwin Sifuna a Battler for Odm’s Soul

Sifuna’s removal wasn't a matter of indiscipline; it was a cold-blooded purge of the inconvenient to safeguard ODM’s new alliance. But in kicking the bulldog from the kennel, the old guard hasn't neutralized him they’ve unchained him to lead a fiercer, uninhibited opposition.

The inevitable finally happened in Mombasa when he was kicked out by the party on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) hierarchy, in a move that surprised few but shocked many with its ruthlessness, surgically removed Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna from the powerful Secretary-General position.

While the official communique cited "rising indiscipline," anyone watching the slow-motion car crash that is post-Raila Odinga politics knows the truth that Sifuna was not fired for being undisciplined; rather, he was fired for being inconvenient.

The arc of Edwin Sifuna’s career is a fascinating study in modern Kenyan political warfare. His rise was meteoric. A sharp, articulate lawyer with a tongue that could slice through political opponents on live television, Sifuna quickly established himself as the intellectual brawler of the opposition.

In the golden years of the "Baba" era, Sifuna was indispensable. He was the designated attack dog. When Raila Odinga needed to maintain a statesmanlike altitude, it was Sifuna down in the mud, wrestling the Jubilee administration and later, the budding Kenya Kwanza regime.

He was abrasive, sometimes arrogant, but fiercely loyal to the cause. His brand of politics appealed to a younger, restless demographic tired of polite boardroom deals. He was not just a suit, but he was a vibe and a symbol of resistance.

However, political assets have a shelf life, and Sifuna’s expiration date began ticking the moment Raila Odinga was laid to rest in October 2025.

The colossal vacuum left by the Enigma’s departure triggered an immediate existential crisis within the Orange party. The glue that held the disparate interests together dissolved. On one side, an "old guard" now led by figures like Oburu Oginga decided that pragmatism was the only survival route and decided to cooperate with President Ruto’s government through the broad-based government.

On the other side stood Sifuna and a cohort of "Young Turks," who viewed this sudden cooperation as ideological treason. Sifuna refused to read the room. He continued to loudly attack the very government his party leadership was busy cozying up to.

In the new ODM, where accommodation with power is the order of the day, an attack dog is no longer an asset but a liability. Sifuna became the embarrassing relative shouting obscenities at a wedding. His refusal to tone down his anti-Ruto rhetoric made the party’s new broad-based arrangement look schizophrenic.

His removal was the old guard reasserting control, sending a clear message that the era of radical opposition is over. They have chosen peace and positions over principle and protest.

So, is this the "fall" of Edwin Sifuna? Administratively, yes. He has lost a massive platform and the resources that come with the SG office. He is now politically exposed in a way he has not been in years.

Yet, to write his political obituary now would be naive. Sifuna has already signaled his next move by announcing a "Linda Mwananchi" rally in Kitengela this Sunday. By pushing him out of the boardroom, the ODM leadership may have inadvertently unchained him.

Sifuna is now free from the shackles of collective party responsibility. He can now fully embrace the mantle of the "real" opposition leader, creating a distinct brand outside the shadow of the Odinga family.

The Mombasa purge was not the end of the movie; it was just the end of the second act. The third act, which will be Sifuna versus the system he once helped build, is just beginning. The bulldog has been kicked out of the kennel, but he still has his teeth.