WHERE IS HE? Top ODM Leader Missing As Party Holds Central Committee Meeting Today, Details

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Oburu Oginga on Monday convened a meeting of the party’s Central Management Committee (CMC) in Vipingo, Kilifi County, amid simmering internal tensions within the opposition outfit.

In a statement shared on his official X account, Oburu said the meeting was called in his capacity as party leader to hold consultations on emerging political and national issues. 

He reiterated that ODM remains committed to internal consultation, unity of purpose and principled leadership as it charts its way forward following the death of longtime leader Raila Odinga in October 2025.

Photos shared by ODM leaders and the party’s official social media platforms showed a number of senior officials in attendance, including Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, who doubles as the party’s national chairperson, and Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir, one of the deputy party leaders. 

Governor Nassir described the session as candid and forward-looking, while Wanga confirmed that deliberations were ongoing under Oburu’s leadership.

However, the meeting drew attention due to the absence of ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, a key member of the CMC. Also missing was Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, another deputy party leader. 

An analysis of the shared images did not show the two leaders, raising fresh questions about internal divisions within the party.

Sifuna’s absence comes against the backdrop of growing calls for his removal from the powerful secretary general position. 

The Nairobi Senator has increasingly been viewed as a rebel within ODM following his public opposition to the party’s cooperation with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance under the broad-based government arrangement.

The standoff escalated recently after a public spat between Sifuna and National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed over the use of funds during the 2022 general election. 

Several party figures, including Migori Senator Eddy Oketch and Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, have since pushed for disciplinary action against Sifuna, with renewed demands for the convening of a National Delegates Convention to resolve the wrangles.

The Vipingo meeting is seen as a critical test of Oburu’s leadership as ODM grapples with unity and direction in a rapidly shifting political landscape.