Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has sharply criticised ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, accusing him of arrogance, disregarding party leadership and weakening internal discipline, while revealing that Raila Odinga personally intervened multiple times to urge restraint.
Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has launched a scathing attack on Orange Democratic Movement Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, accusing him of arrogance, disregard for party leadership and deliberate weakening of internal discipline during his tenure.
Speaking during a live television interview on February 16, 2026, Passaris said Sifuna’s conduct had repeatedly undermined collective decision-making and created unnecessary tension within the party. “Edwin Sifuna has shown a level of arrogance that is unacceptable in any organisation, let alone a party founded on principles of consultation and respect for leadership,” Passaris stated. “He has consistently acted as if he is above the structures, above the party leader and above the collective will of members.”
Passaris went further, revealing that the late Raila Odinga had personally intervened on several occasions to rein in Sifuna’s public statements and behaviour. “There were numerous times when Baba himself reached out to Edwin,” she said. “He called him, sometimes late at night, urging him to tone down his posture, to consult before speaking on sensitive matters and to respect party unity. Raila was patient and fatherly, but Edwin would listen and then go ahead and do exactly what Baba had asked him not to do.”
She argued that Sifuna’s approach had weakened ODM at a time when the party needed cohesion following Raila’s death in October 2025. “Instead of building bridges, he has been burning them,” Passaris said. “His public attacks on perceived opponents within and outside the party have created factions, scared away potential allies and made it difficult for us to present a united front. That is not leadership; that is ego.”
Passaris also criticised what she described as Sifuna’s selective application of party discipline. “When junior members or dissenting voices speak out, he is quick to talk about expulsion and sanctions,” she noted. “But when he himself defies the leadership or ignores collective decisions, there is silence. That double standard has eroded trust and discipline in the party.”
The remarks come amid ongoing internal wrangling in ODM, with factions divided over the party’s future direction, the expired March 2025 Memorandum of Understanding with Kenya Kwanza and preparations for the 2027 general election. Sifuna has been a leading voice in the hardline group opposing deeper cooperation with the government, while other leaders advocate for pragmatic engagement.
Passaris, who has maintained a relatively low-profile role in party affairs since Raila’s passing, said her intervention was motivated by loyalty to ODM’s founding values. “I speak because I care about this party,” she said. “Raila built ODM on sacrifice, consultation and putting the people first. We cannot allow it to be reduced to a platform for personal ambition or reckless statements.”
She called on the party’s National Executive Committee to urgently address leadership conduct and restore internal discipline. “The NEC must act,” Passaris urged. “We cannot continue pretending everything is fine when structures are being undermined from within. The party must return to the principles Baba left us.”
Sifuna has not yet issued a direct response to Passaris’s comments, but allies close to him dismissed the criticism as politically motivated. One senior ODM figure said: “Esther is entitled to her opinion, but she knows very well that Edwin has been defending the party’s core values against those who want to turn ODM into a government appendage. This is an attempt to silence the voice of the people.”
The public spat has added fuel to speculation about ODM’s stability ahead of the 2027 elections. With the party yet to hold a full post-Raila leadership conference, tensions between moderates and hardliners continue to simmer.
Political analyst Dr Martin Ouma said the exchange reflects deeper questions about ODM’s identity. “Esther Passaris is reminding the party of Raila’s style—measured, consultative and unifying,” Ouma observed. “Sifuna represents a more confrontational generation. The question is which approach will prevail when delegates meet to choose the party’s path forward.”
As the NEC meeting approaches, observers expect more voices to weigh in on the leadership style debate. For now, Passaris’s intervention has reopened wounds that many in ODM hoped would heal quietly after Raila’s death.
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