President William Ruto is systematically dismantling his opposition from within, with fingerprints of his influence visible in the financial and strategic decisions tearing the ODM party at the seams.

While the drama in ODM plays out on public stages, the script is reportedly being written in the corridors of State House. Political observers and insiders are pointing to a sophisticated operation by President Ruto to rearrange the opposition landscape ahead of the 2027 elections. The ouster of Edwin Sifuna is not merely an internal squabble; it is the removal of the last major stumbling block to a formal pact between ODM and the ruling UDA coalition.

The Strategy of Co-option

The President’s strategy appears to be one of "embrace and smother." By financing certain factions and offering state patronage to others, the ruling coalition has effectively weaponized ODM’s internal democracy against itself.

• The Deal: Sources indicate a pre-election pact is in the works, potentially to be signed by May, which would see ODM formally enter the government fold. Sifuna’s hardline anti-government stance made him incompatible with this new arrangement.
• The Financing: Questions are being raised about the sudden influx of resources to the anti-Sifuna faction, with pundits expecting the upcoming National Delegates Convention (NDC) to be a state-bankrolled affair.

A Calculated Decapitation

The removal of a Secretary General is a tactical decapitation. Sifuna was the attack dog, the voice that kept the government on its toes. With him gone, and a more compliant leadership installed, ODM is poised to transition from a government-in-waiting to a government-partner.

"Ruto is not just defeating the opposition; he is acquiring it," notes one political strategist. This hostile takeover effectively leaves Kenya without a formidable opposition, consolidating power in a manner that critics argue undermines multi-party democracy. As the dust settles, the reality is becoming clear: the calls are coming from inside the house, but the orders are coming from State House.