The simmering ideological war within ODM boiled over in Mombasa yesterday as Suna East MP Junet Mohamed issued a chilling public warning to businessman Oketch Salah: stop marketing President Ruto in ODM colors, or face the consequences.

The "Linda Ground" rally at the historic Tononoka Grounds was meant to be a show of unity. Instead, it became the stage for a vicious dressing-down that exposed the widening cracks within the Orange party. Oketch Salah, a controversial figure who styles himself as the "adopted son" of the late Raila Odinga, has been aggressively pushing for a formal pact between ODM and President William Ruto—a move that the party's orthodox wing views as heresy.

Junet Mohamed, known for his acerbic tongue and role as the party’s enforcer, did not mince words. Taking the microphone after Salah had addressed the crowd, Junet turned his guns directly on the businessman. "Salah, hii mambo yako ya kutengeneza T-shirt ya president na ODM, uwache. Uwache kabisa," Junet thundered, his voice echoing across the packed grounds. ("Salah, this business of printing T-shirts with the President and ODM, stop it. Stop it completely.")

The "Broad-Based" Schism

The conflict represents a deeper identity crisis for ODM in the post-Raila era.

• The Orthodox Wing: Led by figures like Junet, Edwin Sifuna, and Gladys Wanga, this faction believes ODM must remain a distinct opposition entity, even if it cooperates with the government on specific issues.
• The Ruto Proponents: Represented by Salah and a quiet whisper network of MPs, this group argues that the "Broad-Based Government" (BBG) deal requires a total political merger ahead of 2027.

Salah had earlier provoked the ire of the party by organizing an event at the KICC where youth donned orange regalia emblazoned with Ruto’s portrait. At Tononoka, he doubled down, urging the party's negotiating team to ensure Ruto's running mate in 2027 comes from ODM. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-7)It was this brazen attempt to mortgage the party's future that triggered Junet’s "Utakula kiboko" (You will be whipped) threat.

A Party Under Siege

The incident highlights the fragility of ODM without its enigmatic patriarch. "You cannot mix the orange of the revolution with the yellow of the regime," Senator Godfrey Osotsi had warned a day earlier. Yet, the persistence of figures like Salah suggests that the allure of state power is proving difficult to resist for many within the rank and file.

As the rally concluded, the message from the podium was clear: ODM is not for sale. But the murmurs from the crowd suggested that for some, the price might already be right.