Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has struck a defiant note following his removal as the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General, announcing a mammoth rally in Kitengela.

Speaking during a press briefing in Nairobi, Sifuna dismissed his ouster and declared a return to grassroots mobilisation.

“We are the generation that will reach the ‘Canaan’ envisioned by the late Raila Odinga. Nothing will distract us from this endeavour,” Sifuna stated. “I want to assure you that we will be back at the grassroots, bigger and more energised, beginning this Sunday in Kitengela.”

The Senator maintained that the dispute is not about personal titles but the party’s core integrity and adherence to its internal constitution, criticising the current leadership for allegedly bypassing internal rules, describing the recent changes as a “theatre of the illegal.”

“ODM is bigger than any individual. It must remain anchored in justice, transparency, and respect for its own Constitution,” he noted. “We shouldn’t fall for the allure of easy legs and cheap promises made for the purpose of perpetuating the age of slavery visited on the citizens of this nation by the current regime.”

Sifuna specifically highlighted procedural flaws in his removal, pointing to a public notice issued on February 3 regarding leadership changes that requested input for a period that had already lapsed.

“Essentially, those who now purport to run the party are aware that the new leadership was installed unprocedurally and unconstitutionally,” he claimed. Despite the party’s decision,

Sifuna also sternly reaffirmed his status, saying, “I remain the loyal and duly elected Secretary General of the ODM party.”

His removal followed months of escalating internal friction within ODM following the death of its long-time leader, Raila Odinga, in October 2025.

The transition period saw the party split into two factions: a “new guard” led by acting party leader Oburu Oginga, which favoured a “broad-based” cooperation with Ruto’s administration, and a rebellious wing including Sifuna, Babu Owino, and James Orengo, who remained vocal critics of the government.

The formal ouster was executed during a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Mombasa, which Sifuna did not attend.

The NEC cited “rising levels of indiscipline” and a failure to adhere to collective party decisions as the primary reasons for his exit.

Following the vote, Busia Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo was appointed as the acting Secretary General, while the party simultaneously moved to formally withdraw from the Azimio la Umoja coalition to chart a new independent path.