Embakasi North Member of Parliament James Gakuya has dismissed claims that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) could be handed wholesale to President William Ruto ahead of the 2027 General Election, warning that the party is on the brink of an irreversible split.
Speaking during an interview on February 9, 2026, Gakuya cautioned that any attempt to push ODM fully into the Kenya Kwanza fold without following proper party procedures would fail.
“Every single effort to make sure that this party gets away with a buru… remember, who is the custodian of the instruments of the party? The instruments of party custodian is the Secretary General. Who is he? He’s one Sifuna,” Gakuya said.
The legislator stressed that only ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has the legal authority to convene a National Delegates Convention (NDC), the party’s top decision-making organ empowered to approve mergers, coalitions, or endorsements. He warned that any changes made without Sifuna’s involvement would be null and void and subject to legal challenge.
“Don’t think that it’s going to be a small battle. This battle will be taken to court. It is not going to be easy and it’s not going to be a walk in the park,” Gakuya warned.
Gakuya predicted that while a faction within ODM sympathetic to the government might move to endorse President Ruto, the core of the party under Sifuna’s leadership would remain opposed.
“There will be a portion, which will very easily move to endorse William Ruto and that ODM package. But which ODM will be that? Because this ODM, where it is heading, it is split into two,” he said.
He maintained that the anti-Ruto wing would prevail in any legal confrontation. “We are not going to beat Sifuna in court. We’ll beat you hands down,” Gakuya asserted.
The remarks come amid growing speculation about shifting political alliances ahead of the 2027 polls, with sections of ODM leaders reportedly warming up to the Kenya Kwanza administration.
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