The Orange Democratic Movement is imploding from within as Treasury CS John Mbadi declares open war on Secretary General Edwin Sifuna.

The fragile peace within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has been shattered this week, exposing deep fault lines that threaten to tear the opposition-turned-government-partner apart. In a blistering attack that has left no room for reconciliation, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has called for the immediate expulsion of Nairobi Senator and ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna. Mbadi’s demand is not just a spat between colleagues; it is a battle for the soul of the party as it navigates its controversial "broad-based" alliance with President William Ruto’s government.

Speaking from Homa Bay, a visibly agitated Mbadi accused Sifuna of serving "foreign masters" and holding the party hostage to his own personal ambitions. The crux of the conflict lies in Sifuna’s continued questioning of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Raila Odinga and President Ruto—a deal that landed Mbadi and others in the Cabinet. “You cannot be in the party and fight its decisions at every turn,” Mbadi thundered. “If Sifuna wants to leave, let him go. We cannot allow him to sabotage the party from the Secretary General’s chair.”

The 2032 Endgame

This internecine warfare is about much more than current loyalty; it is a positioning game for the post-Raila era. Mbadi, emboldened by his powerful Cabinet portfolio, has signaled his intent to run for the presidency in 2032, viewing himself as the natural heir to the Nyanza political kingpin. Sifuna, a favorite of the youthful "Gen Z" base and a brilliant orator, represents a threat to the old guard’s succession plans. By moving to decapitate Sifuna politically, Mbadi is clearing the board for his own ascent.

The "Linda Ground" rallies, spearheaded by Sifuna and other skeptics of the government deal, have clearly rattled the pro-government faction of ODM. These rallies have been drawing massive crowds, resonating with supporters who feel betrayed by the party’s cohabitation with the Kenya Kwanza administration. Mbadi’s call for expulsion is a desperate attempt to silence this dissenting chorus before it swells into a full-blown mutiny.

• The Accusation: Mbadi claims Sifuna is acting as a double agent, undermining the party’s strategic cooperation with the government to score cheap populist points.
• The Defense: Sifuna’s camp argues they are the true custodians of ODM’s social democratic ideals, refusing to sanitize a government they spent years opposing.
• The Stakes: If Sifuna is ousted, ODM risks alienating its urban, youthful base; if he stays, the party remains a house divided against itself.

A Party at a Crossroads

The spectacle of a Cabinet Secretary publicly demanding the firing of his own party’s Secretary General is unprecedented in recent Kenyan history. It reveals the uncomfortable reality of the "broad-based government"—it has dissolved the traditional boundaries between ruling party and opposition, leaving ODM in an identity crisis. Sifuna’s potential exit could trigger an exodus of the party’s radical wing, potentially birthing a new political vehicle ahead of 2027.

“We are watching a slow-motion car crash,” observed one political analyst. “Mbadi thinks he is saving the party, but he might just be digging its grave.” As the ODM disciplinary committee weighs its options, the message to the rank and file is clear: fall in line with the new government partnership, or face the purge.