Orengo declares himself ODM acting party leader as Oburu shuts door on Sifuna

Siaya Governor James Orengo has declared himself the acting leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), making the announcement at a Linda Mwananchi rally in Nakuru County on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

The declaration came on the same day ODM's ratified party leader Oburu Oginga told a radio interviewer he could not work with Sifuna and saw no path to reconciliation.

Orengo described the Linda Ground faction, led by Oburu, as lacking a firm political position and said it was being directed by the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) under President William Ruto.

His acting leader declaration followed directly from that charge: with Sifuna as Secretary General and Oburu disqualified in Linda Mwananchi's eyes, Orengo placed himself at the top of the party's chain of command as they see it.

At the same Nakuru rally, Orengo announced three consecutive days of protests on June 24, 25, and 26, timed to mark the anniversary of the Gen Z-led demonstrations.

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, speaking at the same rally, described Linda Mwananchi as "ODM orphans," saying the group was driven not by bitterness but by responsibility.

Speaking in a separate interview on Hot96, Oburu ruled out reconciliation with Sifuna, citing what he called persistent indiscipline.

He pointed to Sifuna's remark at a Tononoka rally in Mombasa County on March 29, where the Nairobi Senator told supporters: "Siwezi kuwa secretary general wa mediocrity. Mnajua mediocrity ni nini? Siwezi fanya kazi na Raila Odinga kwa zaidi ya miaka tisa alafu nifanye kazi na mtu kama Oburu." ("I cannot be a secretary general for mediocrity. I cannot work with someone like Raila Odinga for more than nine years and later work under somebody like Oburu Odinga.")

Oburu said the remark was aimed at him directly.

He also accused Sifuna of boycotting party organs, including the National Executive Council and the Central Management Committee, while convening a parallel National Delegates Convention at Ufungamano House on March 27, the same day the official Special Delegates Conference ran at Jamhuri Showground.

ODM has been divided into two factions since the death of founding leader Raila Odinga in October 2025.

The Linda Mwananchi camp, led by Orengo and Sifuna, opposes any alignment with President Ruto's UDA.

The Linda Ground faction, led by Oburu and including ODM chairperson Gladys Wanga and Deputy Party Leader Abdulswamad Nassir, backs pre-election coalition talks with UDA ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Oburu was formally ratified as party leader at the Special Delegates Conference on March 27, 2026, at Jamhuri Park in Nairobi, with delegates also endorsing Nassir and Kisii Governor Simba Arati as deputy leaders.

Linda Mwananchi rejected that ratification as illegitimate.

A disciplinary case against Sifuna, initiated through a show-cause letter signed by Wanga on April 2, 2026, remains unresolved after the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal referred it to ODM's internal mechanisms.

ODM's full National Delegates Convention is expected later in 2026.