The Orange Democratic Movement is bleeding. In a candid and chilling warning, former Senate Majority Leader Samuel Poghisio has told new Party Leader Oburu Odinga to convene an emergency National Delegates Conference (NDC) or watch the party disintegrate into oblivion.

The walls of the Orange House are shaking. Samuel Poghisio, a veteran of Kenya’s turbulent political trenches, has not minced his words: ODM is facing an existential crisis. Speaking during a high-stakes interview on Monday morning, Poghisio painted a picture of a party at war with itself, paralyzed by a leadership vacuum left by Raila Odinga and torn apart by a ruthless factional war between those courting President Ruto’s government and those demanding independence.

“The party is at a crossroads,” Poghisio declared, his tone grave. “You cannot run a movement of this magnitude on nostalgia. Unless Oburu convenes an NDC immediately to resolve these identity wars, there will be no ODM to speak of in 2027.”

The Shadow of the Enigma

For two decades, ODM was synonymous with Raila Odinga. His word was law; his direction was absolute. But with his transition to continental duties, a cavernous void has opened up. Poghisio argues that Oburu Odinga, while a seasoned hand, has yet to demonstrate the iron grip needed to herd the party’s cats. The "principled" faction, led by the likes of Edwin Sifuna, is openly clashing with the "pragmatic" wing that sees cooperation with the government as the only route to survival.

• The Factional Split: One camp demands total separation from the state to maintain opposition credibility; the other seeks resources and development through cooperation.
• The Oburu Factor: Critics argue the new Party Leader is too passive, allowing the rifts to deepen into unbridgeable canyons.
• The 2027 Question: Without a united front, ODM risks becoming a regional outfit, losing its national clout to a resurgent UDA machine.

A Titanic Collapse?

The stakes could not be higher. If the NDC is not called, insiders fear a mass exodus of disgruntled members. Poghisio’s intervention is seen by political pundits as a last-ditch effort to save the soul of Kenya’s most resilient political movement. But is Oburu listening? Or is the Orange party destined to rot from the inside out?

“History will not forgive those who stood by and watched the house burn,” Poghisio concluded. The ball is now firmly in Oburu’s court, but the clock is ticking louder than ever.