Acting ODM Secretary General Catherine Omanyo has come out strongly to defend her leadership credentials, vowing not to be intimidated by recent public attacks from her predecessor, Edwin Sifuna.
Speaking in Kilifi on Friday during the party’s Linda Ground tour, Omanyo accused Sifuna of orchestrating a smear campaign against her, including claims that she is “uneducated.” She dismissed the remarks as disrespectful, misleading, and intended to confuse party members.
“I struggled to educate myself. It was not easy,” Omanyo said, recounting her journey from a difficult childhood after losing her father at 14 to eventually earning a university education. She questioned why Sifuna would allegedly send people to insult her academic background.
Omanyo urged women and voters to reject the notion that leadership should be judged solely by academic titles. “Do you only vote for professors? Is it fair to insult me because of education?” she posed, drawing applause from the crowd.
The acting secretary general further accused Sifuna of using his allies to brand her a “chokora” (street child), insisting that such insults would not shake her resolve. “Even if I was a chokora, I have a home and that home is ODM. And I will not sell this party,” she declared to loud cheers.
Omanyo also took aim at Sifuna’s alleged “double-speak,” accusing him of causing confusion within the party. She claimed that Sifuna had administered an oath recognizing Oburu Oginga as party leader, only to later appear on television distancing himself from the same move.
“You cannot swear someone in with a Bible then go back and say you do not recognize them,” she said, accusing Sifuna of contradicting ODM’s official position.
She further referenced reports of a meeting between Sifuna, ODM leader Raila Odinga, and President William Ruto at State House regarding the ongoing broad-based talks, alleging that Sifuna later denied involvement — another sign, she argued, of inconsistency.
Omanyo maintained that her focus remains on representing ODM’s official stance and strengthening the party, not engaging in personal attacks.
“He is my brother, and I respect him. But if he does not respect me, someone else will also fail to respect him,” she warned, signaling that the internal wrangles within ODM’s top ranks are far from over.
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