Suba South MP Caroli Omondi has openly defied his own party, dismissing ODM's attempts to block his ascension to the Azimio Secretariat as a futile exercise driven by a fundamental misunderstanding of the Political Parties Act.

The battle for the soul of the Azimio la Umoja coalition has escalated into an open civil war. Caroli Omondi, the newly appointed Secretary General of the coalition, has fired a salvo at his detractors within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), terming their efforts to stall his gazettement as "an act out of ignorance of the law." This confrontation marks a definitive fracture in the opposition, pitting the former Prime Minister’s loyalists against a faction reportedly aligned with retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The stakes could not be higher. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-1)At the heart of this dispute is the control of the coalition's instrument ahead of the critical 2027 election cycle. ODM, led by figures such as Executive Director Oduor Ong'wen, has cried foul, claiming the changes—which saw Omondi replace Suna East MP Junet Mohamed—were unprocedural and breached the coalition agreement. However, Omondi’s defiance suggests a confidence backed by the letter of the law, signaling that the "old guard" may be losing their grip on the coalition's machinery.

The Legal Standoff

Omondi’s rebuttal was precise and stinging. Responding to reports that State House operatives or ODM officials had instructed the Government Printer to halt the gazette notice, the Suba South lawmaker argued that the process is already irreversible. "The 14-day notice period for the changes to become effective continues to run even if the Government Printer does not print them, provided that the same have been published in a national newspaper, which we have already done," Omondi asserted.

This legal interpretation throws the ball back into ODM's court. If Omondi’s reading of the statutory requirements is correct, the leadership changes—including the installation of Kalonzo Musyoka as Coalition Leader—will automatically take effect by operation of law, rendering ODM’s protests moot.

A Coalition in Flux

• The New Guard: Kalonzo Musyoka (Leader), Caroli Omondi (Sec Gen), Philip Kisia (Executive Director).
• The Ousted: Raila Odinga (Posthumous replacement), Junet Mohamed, Raphael Tuju.
• The Grievance: ODM claims they were not consulted, despite being the majority shareholder in the coalition.

The political implications for Kenya are vast. If ODM is effectively sidelined in Azimio, it may force the party to formally chart a new path, potentially accelerating the much-rumored cooperation with President William Ruto’s UDA. Conversely, the "Kenyatta-Kalonzo" axis appears to be consolidating a distinct opposition bloc, free from the traditional dominance of Orange House.

"We are moving forward," Omondi told supporters, hinting that the time for consensus building had passed. "The coalition must evolve to meet the current political realities, not the sentimentalities of the past."