NAIROBI — The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has moved with ruthlessness to sever ties with Oketch Salah, the Migori businessman whose meteoric rise and self-styled title of Raila Odinga's "adopted son" has rattled the party's hierarchy. In a blistering statement issued by National Chairperson Gladys Wanga, the party declared Salah's high-voltage grassroots tours as unauthorized, personal ventures that hold no water within the Orange House.

This public rebuke is not merely a clarification; it is a calculated strike against the emergence of parallel power structures within the opposition behemoth. For weeks, Salah has traversed the political landscape with the swagger of a kingmaker, culminating in a controversial assembly at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Friday. The event, draped in ODM colors but devoid of its official blessing, appears to have been the final straw for a leadership wary of rogue elements hijacking the party's narrative.

The KICC Fiasco

The cracks began to show when images from the KICC event flooded social media. Salah, positioning himself as a mobilizer for the youth, held court in a manner that suggested high-level endorsement. However, the optics of an individual commandeering the party's brand without the secretariat's seal of approval sent shockwaves through the rank and file. "We cannot have a party within a party," a senior official whispered, pointing to the confusion such unauthorized movements sow among the grassroots supporters who view every orange cap as a directive from the top.

Wanga's statement was unequivocal: Salah acts for Salah. By stripping him of the party's veneer, ODM has effectively isolated him, warning its vast network of grassroots structures to steer clear of his caravan. This maneuver is a classic consolidation of power, ensuring that the party's machinery remains firmly in the hands of its elected custodians rather than freelance political entrepreneurs.

• The Family Pushback: The disavowal was not limited to the party secretariat. In a rare coordinated offensive, Winnie Odinga and Raila Junior have publicly castigated Salah, dismantling the "adopted son" mythology that has fueled his ascent.
• The Grassroots Warning: The directive to county officials is clear—engage with unauthorized caravans at your own peril. This imposes a quarantine on Salah's operations, effectively cutting off his access to the party's mobilized base.

The Discipline Doctrine

This episode serves as a stark reminder of the internal discipline that ODM is enforcing as it recalibrates for the future. The party is signaling that proximity to power—real or imagined—is not a substitute for procedural legitimacy. As Salah finds himself out in the cold, the message to other aspiring power brokers is written on the wall: The party is not a vehicle for personal vanity projects.