Former Cabinet Assistant Secretary David Osiany has issued a passionate plea to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to instantly abolish internal factions and return to its grassroots 'Linda Chama' ideology to survive impending political obliteration.

Speaking against the backdrop of highly controversial merger discussions between ODM and the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Osiany forcefully warned that internal divisions are critically weakening the party's historical mandate as Kenya's premier opposition force.

This urgent call for institutional unity highlights a profound existential crisis within ODM. As younger, increasingly radicalized leaders like Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna consolidate regional power bases, the traditional party hierarchy risks alienating its most loyal, battle-hardened supporters who view any alliance with the current government as an unforgivable betrayal of public trust.

The Threat of the UDA-ODM Merger

The proposed structural realignment between the opposition and the state has triggered massive internal hemorrhaging. Critics, prominently including Safina Deputy Party Leader Willis Otieno, argue that the merger is a purely transactional arrangement focused entirely on securing executive positions—specifically the Deputy Presidency—rather than alleviating the severe economic suffering of ordinary Kenyans.

Osiany's intervention serves as a crucial reality check. He insists that ODM must entirely scrap the divisive internal camps that have sprung up in the wake of these negotiations. The 'Linda Chama' (Protect the Party) ethos is presented as the only viable mechanism to restore ideological purity and operational discipline before the pivotal 2027 electoral cycle.

The Western Kenya Political Reawakening

The internal wrangling within ODM is most violently manifesting in Western Kenya, a region currently undergoing a massive political reawakening. The rising alliance between Edwin Sifuna and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya threatens to completely upend the traditional elder-driven political arithmetic.

• Generational transition: Young leaders are openly challenging established regional kingpins, demanding issue-based accountability over ethnic mathematics.
• The 'Tawe' Movement: A growing, formalized rejection of old-guard dominance and transactional national coalitions.
• Grassroots alienation: Voters are demanding immediate solutions to the collapsing healthcare system, not high-level power-sharing pacts.

Reclaiming the Opposition Mandate

If ODM fails to heed Osiany's urgent directive, the party risks being completely consumed by the very establishment it was engineered to oppose. The electorate is demonstrating a profound, unprecedented intolerance for political ambiguity. Leaders must choose between the comfort of state patronage and the grueling, necessary work of genuine opposition.

The next few months will be critical in determining whether ODM can successfully pivot back to its foundational principles or if it will inevitably fracture into localized, irrelevant political fiefdoms.

"Victory must inherently be about the fundamental survival of the people, not the mere acquisition of executive positions," Osiany stated, drawing a definitive line in the political sand.