Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga on Thursday came out in defence of Nairobi Senator and ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna amid mounting criticism over his remarks questioning the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between President William Ruto and the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
In a strongly worded statement, Ruth Odinga said the backlash against Sifuna—particularly following his recent interview on Citizen TV—reflects intolerance to internal dissent within the party, warning that silencing critical voices could harm ODM.
Sifuna, who has been labelled a “rebel” by sections of the party, raised concerns over the source of funding for ODM-linked political activities, including the use of helicopters, large tents and branded merchandise during the ‘Linda Ground’ conventions.
“As a signatory to the ODM account, if he questions where all the money for choppers, big tents and ODM branded t-shirts and caps in the ‘Linda Ground’ conventions are coming from, why should anyone abuse him? He admitted on national TV that ODM Party has not spent any coin on the campaigns which run into millions of shillings. Those with the answers, why can’t you provide them?” she posed.
“If indeed he is a ‘rebel’, then how many times was Raila Odinga one? Even in the ‘nusu mkate’ government, Raila would still stand his ground,” Ruth stated.
She asked, “If the MoU has not been honoured, with less than 30 days to its expiry, what is so ‘treasonous’ about Sifuna publicly declaring it ‘dead’?”
He disclosed that ODM has not spent any money on the campaigns, which he said run into millions of shillings.
Odinga questioned why Sifuna was being attacked for seeking accountability, asking whether governors, MPs or unidentified benefactors were financing the activities, and what interests such financiers might be pursuing.
“Are governors funding the campaigns? Are MPs doing it from CDF kitty? Did we get a philanthropist that a Party SG is not aware of who is funding the clearly expensive public fora? And what is in it for the ‘philanthropist’?”
She further linked the controversy to what she described as the government’s failure to fully implement the March 2025 MoU, which she said is facing an imminent expiry with less than 30 days remaining.
“The last thing we should do, if we mean well for the party, is to muffle voices like Sifuna’s,” she said, drawing parallels with Raila Odinga’s own history of dissent, including during the ‘nusu mkate’ government.
Ruth Odinga also cited Sifuna’s claim that ODM is owed Sh12 billion in public funding by the government, as required under the Constitution based on the party’s parliamentary strength.
She argued that withholding the funds enables external control over party activities, including who participates in public forums and what messages are delivered.
She pointed to recent incidents where party leaders, including Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo, were publicly booed after deviating from what she termed “pre-approved scripts” at party events.
Questioning claims that Sifuna’s declaration that the MoU is “dead” amounted to disloyalty, Odinga asked whether President Ruto could be trusted to honour future political agreements if the current MoU remains unfulfilled.
“If the MoU has not been honored, with just less than 30 days to its expiry, what is so ‘treasonous’ in Sifuna publicly declaring it “dead”? And for the ‘Tutam’ choir members in ODM, if President Ruto does not honor an agreement he signed with a man he said helped him steady a ship called Kenya that was sinking following the Gen-Z protests, how sure are you that he will honor the pre-election pact you are all talking about? Will he use a different signature?” she posed.
The legislator emphasised that she would continue to maintain her ground despite being labelled as one of the ‘rebels’.
“Because I have already been labelled a ‘rebel’, I must put these here so that when the going will get tough – and it surely will – you won’t accuse me of being mute. It is not really upon the committee implementing the 10-point agenda; the buck stops with the bearer of the signature in the MoU,” she said, adding that the coming weeks—up to March 7—will be critical in determining the agreement’s fate.
The MoU between President Ruto and Raila Odinga was signed in March 2025 following nationwide Gen-Z-led protests, with the aim of easing political tensions and implementing a 10-point reform agenda.
