Taking to social media on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, Kaluma emphasized the need for party organs to act decisively against officials perceived to be sabotaging ODM’s unity.
He specifically targeted members aligned with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, urging their removal from leadership positions within the party.
“The ODM party leader, Dr Oburu Oginga: please convene a meeting of the relevant organ of the Party so that the members may kick out the Gachagua men contradicting Baba barely three months since he rested,” Kaluma wrote on X.
The statement signals the growing frustration among some party loyalists over perceived disloyalty within the ranks.
While some senior officials, including Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna and Deputy Party Leader Godfrey Osotsi, have resisted pressure to exit the party, Kaluma insists that internal discipline is necessary to preserve the party’s integrity and Raila Odinga’s political heritage.
During the funeral of former Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Jirongo on December 30, both Sifuna and Osotsi publicly reaffirmed their commitment to ODM, rejecting calls to resign.
Sifuna, Nairobi Senator and party secretary-general, maintained that loyalty to ODM outweighs factional pressures, stressing that any disagreements could be resolved internally without abandoning the party.
Osotsi echoed similar sentiments, recounting the history of ODM’s formation and evolution from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to the present-day ODM.
He highlighted the consistent contributions of his group to the party’s development across multiple election cycles, arguing that their political roots and long-standing investment in ODM justified their continued membership.
“We started this journey long ago. In Western Kenya, the party that had strength was Ford Kenya, but we brought in LDP, which gave birth to ODM Kenya. Even when ODM Kenya shifted, we continued to build ODM. We have been in ODM, campaigned for it in 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022. We are not going anywhere,” Osotsi said.
Kaluma’s call for a crisis meeting underscores the challenges facing ODM following the death of Raila Odinga in October 2025.
Without the unifying presence of the founding leader, the party has been grappling with internal disputes over leadership, policy direction, and engagement with the national government.
Analysts suggest that these divisions could have long-term consequences for ODM’s cohesion and electoral prospects, particularly with the 2027 general elections approaching.
The tension between maintaining loyalty to the late Raila Odinga’s ideals and pursuing strategic alliances has placed the party’s leadership under scrutiny from both members and the public.
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