In a dramatic intervention that has halted the political guillotine, Mama Ida Odinga has thrown her full weight behind embattled ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, declaring him "Raila’s son" and warning the party against cannibalizing its own youth.

The attempted ouster of Sifuna by a faction of the National Executive Committee (NEC) has plunged the Orange party into its most vicious internal war since the handshake era. Sifuna, known for his abrasive eloquence and unyielding loyalty to the party’s radical roots, was purportedly removed earlier this week, only for the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal to stay the decision. But it was Ida’s voice that truly froze the conspirators in their tracks.

"Edwin Sifuna is the SG of the party. He is the son of Raila. He is not going anywhere," Ida declared, invoking the spirit of the late enigma of Kenyan politics. Her statement is more than a defense of an individual; it is a reassertion of the Odinga family’s custodianship over the movement. By calling Sifuna "Raila's son," she effectively anointed him as a protected species within the party ecosystem.

The "Orphan" Metaphor

Ida’s rhetoric was laced with deep cultural and emotional resonance. "If your father has died, then should the children be chased away from the house?" she asked, a question that cuts to the heart of the Luo community’s values on inheritance and family unity. She framed the attacks on Sifuna not as party discipline, but as the victimization of political orphans left vulnerable by Raila’s absence.

The conflict pits Sifuna against a faction reportedly aligned with Oburu Oginga and potential state interests. This group views Sifuna’s combative style as an impediment to the "Broad-Based Government" cooperation. Sifuna, backed by Winnie Odinga, represents the party’s soul—rebellious, anti-establishment, and unwilling to compromise with the UDA regime.

• The Defender: Ida Odinga (The Matriarch).
• The Accused: Edwin Sifuna (The Radical SG).
• The Aggressors: The "State House" Faction of ODM.

A Battle for the Soul of ODM

Ida’s intervention signals that the Odinga family is not ready to cede control of the party to the highest bidder. It suggests a deep discomfort with the direction the party has taken under the interim leadership. By backing Sifuna, she is backing the resistance. 

“If you have a disagreement in the house, people should sit down and resolve it,” she advised. But in the cutthroat world of succession politics, sitting down is rarely an option. For now, Sifuna survives, shielded by the formidable cloak of the Odinga name. But the knives are still out, and the night is long in Orange House.