Kasmuel McOure slams 'tired mentality' within ODM as he laments youth exclusion

ODM Youth League member Kasmuel McOure has criticised some elements within the party for leading it the wrong way.

The party is currently facing a revolt from within with different factions pushing for various interests. There is a group who want the party to continue their loyalty to President William Ruto with no strings attached while others are demanding an equal share of government positions before they guarantee him support for the 2027 General Election.

Further, there is also a push for ODM to be given the Deputy President’s position with some politicians identifying Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya as the ideal candidate.

Amid all this, McOure feels the youth have been relegated to the back banner with no one thinking about their interests, something he warns could bite ODM.

“The 10-point agenda was originally drafted as a proposal by ODM. Of the ten points, numbers 2, 4 and 6 were particularly inspired by and focused on the youth. We discussed these matters extensively with H.E. Raila Odinga, and I personally traversed the country with him during his consultative meetings,” McOure posted on X (formerly Twitter).

“The only youthful person nominated by our party was Cde. Gabriel Oguda, who ought to have been a Principal Secretary had we treated our most loyal and capable members with the dignity and consideration they deserve.

“Yet the impact he made in COIN-10 reverberates to this day. He put Kolenyo on the map. One would be forgiven for thinking he was the area MP. And yet, these are precisely the minds we continue to relegate to the fringes of our party.”

The political activist-turned politician has bemoaned a state where the old guard continue to enjoy the trappings of power while youngsters within the party feed on scraps when it comes to sharing of key positions in government.

“UDA, on the other hand, nominated young people such as Kevin Kiarie and Lenah Mati, both in their twenties,” he added.

“The youth in ODM MUST also be allowed to enjoy the fruits of their arduous labour. It cannot perpetually be Kazi Kwa Vijana, Pesa Kwa Wazee.

“This is one of the fundamental problems with our party’s mental software, and it MUST change. We cannot entrust the task of forging a new political path to the same tired mentality that has cost us dearly, time and again.

“The Bible reminds us that no one pours new wine into old wineskins. We cannot demand renewal while remaining beholden to the very thinking that has frustrated it.”

McOure has also slammed those who have been giving conditions to President Ruto ahead of the elections, saying they are being ungrateful to the Head of State, when he helped rescue the party from collapse.

“We shall go to any negotiation table firmly on President Ruto’s side, and those who lead us there must be men and women whose pursuit of the greater good supersedes their personal ambitions,” he stated.

In a separate tweet, McOure admitted ODM made a blunder by not listening to dissenting voices within the party, leading to the exit of some members, including Nairobi Senator and Linda Mwananchi movement leader Edwin Sifuna.

“Leadership was forewarned that the Linda Ground push was a mistake but pressed on because funds had been released, merchandise had already been branded and no one wanted to make a strategic retreat and chart a new course,” he revealed.

“Had we cut our losses then, the rivalry might never have ballooned into what it is today. We gave LINDA GROUND our all anyway, even after voicing our reservations, because we believed then, as we do now, that the party’s collective position should supersede individual preferences. We LOST that battle.

“It was a miscalculation so consequential that the most vibrant movement in the opposition emerged from our fallout and has since fought to claim the LINDA MWANANCHI name itself. At the time of our proverbial Abraham-and-Lot parting, ODM was at its weakest. President Ruto stood with us when it mattered.

“Key legislators and ministers who should have helped steer us out of that mess sat on the fence or thumped their chests while we, the young people, once again did our part. We extended ourselves so zealously for the party that some imagined I was angling for the Secretary General’s position, an office I never desired,” he said.