Edwin Sifuna ouster: Who is Catherine Omanyo, ODM’s new acting Secretary-General?

Orange Democratic Movement National Executive Committee has removed Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna as Secretary General and named Busia Woman Representative Catherine Nakhabi Omanyo as acting SG.  

Her rise to the party’s top administrative office, even in an acting capacity,  places her at the centre of one of Kenya’s most influential political machines at a moment of internal recalibration.

Born on July 7, 1978, in Busia County, Omanyo’s early life was shaped by poverty and loss. She was 14 when her father died, leaving her mother to raise ten children. 

As the fourth-born, she has often spoken about growing up in a household that rejected certain traditional customs and struggled financially.

According to her public accounts, she at times sneaked into school because fees were unpaid, an experience that would later inform her activism around access to education.

Omanyo joined the University of Nairobi in 1998, where she pursued a Bachelor of Education (Arts), graduating in 2003. 

Her time at the university came against the backdrop of financial hardship. By her own account, she worked informal jobs, including washing clothes, to stay afloat while tutoring children in informal settlements.

That experience would shape her long-term focus on access to education for children from low-income backgrounds.

In 2001, while still a university student, she founded Imprezza Academy in Nairobi, targeting vulnerable learners who struggled with school fees and access. 

The school later expanded and was re-established in Busia County in 2008 following the disruption caused by the 2007–2008 post-election violence. It operates as the International School for Champions near Matayos, serving orphans and children from disadvantaged families.

Beyond her undergraduate degree, Omanyo has undertaken leadership and governance training, including:

• Leadership Certificate – PLDP (2004–2005)

• Leadership Certificate – National Democratic Institute (NDI) (2006)

• Democracy Certificate – International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), USA (2011)

Omanyo’s career has straddled activism, administration and politics.

Her employment history includes roles as:

• Founder and Director of Imprezza Academy (2012–to date)

• CEO of Kenya Women Agenda (2018–2019)

• Secretary-General of the Women Candidates Network Kenya

• Coordinator for the British Exchange Programme (2007–2011)

• Secretary-General of the National Youth Forum – Obama Leadership (2011–2012)

• Administrator at the Kenya National Private Security Union (2015–2016)

She also lists affiliations as a UN gender activist. Beyond education, Omanyo launched anti-jigger fumigation campaigns in 2006, positioning herself as a grassroots mobiliser tackling neglected public health issues.

In 2022, she was elected as Busia County Woman Representative on an ODM ticket, transitioning fully into elective politics.

As Woman Representative, Omanyo has focused on menstrual health, gender-based violence and poverty alleviation.

In 2023, she oversaw distribution of sanitary pads funded through a Sh10 million allocation. She has also championed grants for vulnerable women and empowerment initiatives for HIV-positive widows through microfinance, tailoring and agriculture programmes in Busia.

Her activism has earned recognition, including the Thamani Awards (2025) for girl-child education leadership and honors from the Isuzu Women Council for gender advocacy. In 2020, she received a Young Boss Humanitarian recognition in New York and was named a Peace Ambassador.

Omanyo is married to American-born pastor Daron, and they have two daughters, Cindy and Sandra. 

Her appointment as acting Secretary-General of ODM comes at a sensitive time for the party. The SG position is not ceremonial; it is the administrative nerve centre responsible for coordinating party operations, communication and compliance with the Political Parties Act.

Whether Omanyo’s activist credentials translate into effective management of ODM’s internal structures remains to be seen.