Si ni mimi Niliwashow,... haya

Edwin Sifuna’s press conference after his dismissal by the ODM NEC followed a very familiar Kenyan political script. Flanked by James Orengo, Godfrey Osotsi, and other pro-Wantam leaders, he struck a defiant tone, promised to pursue “all legal avenues,” and predictably found space to blame President Rutu for his predicament.

That part is not surprising. In Kenyan politics, self-reflection is often the first casualty. Responsibility is outsourced, mistakes are externalised, and relevance is sustained by pointing fingers elsewhere. And after a passing of time, it's all forgotten. Uhunywelle has a multi-billion project in Mwihoko. Financed by stolen public funds, that's a story for another day.

What stands out, however, is the hypocrisy. This same camp has consistently accused pro-Tutam ODM MPs of being “bought” by Ruto. Yet they conveniently ignore the fact that they themselves operate squarely within the political orbit and comfort of former President Uhuru Kenyatta. Uhuru has never truly moved on from the 2022 loss nor fully accepted that he was defeated by his own deputy. His continued involvement in opposition politics is not driven by ideology or reform, but unfinished personal business.

So when Sifuna and company speak about betrayal, capture, or external interference, it rings hollow. ODM’s current turmoil is not primarily about Rutu. It is about internal power struggles, elite entitlement, and leaders who believe they are bigger than the party that made them. Rutu just capitalized on that, as he always does. Along the corridors a while back, he was refered to as, "The Party Killer." Look at what happened to KANU and that other one by Jirungu.

Blaming State House may earn applause from a friendly press conference crowd, but it does not resolve the hard truth: ODM is at war with itself, and no amount of legal threats or political theatre will change that reality.