ODM accuses UDA of hostile takeover in Western Kenya

ODM Deputy Party Leader Godfrey Osotsi revealed that several party legislators and officials in Vihiga and Kakamega Counties have been incorporated into UDA meetings, including a Tuesday gathering at a hotel in Kakamega where ODM-elected legislators participated in a session convened by top UDA officials.

"Our members are being approached to facilitate and participate in the upcoming UDA grassroots elections under the false pretext that UDA and ODM are in a political cooperation agreement," Osotsi stated in a hard-hitting statement released on Wednesday.

He disclosed that UDA operatives have gone further to form a regional presidential caucus composed of ODM members, which he said violates both the Political Parties Act and the ODM constitution.

The deputy party leader termed UDA's actions as regrettable and in bad faith, since it follows the demise of the founding party leader, Raila Odinga.

Osotsi warned that the developments amount to a hostile takeover and a “grand scheme that includes sustained threats of violence and expulsion directed at several senior ODM officials who have dared to speak out against the premature and disrespectful actions.”

Osotsi argued that there is no legally binding agreement between UDA and ODM at national and grassroots levels to anchor the ongoing political overreach by the UDA party," Osotsi emphasized.

The deputy party leader stated that what exists is merely the 10-point reform package signed following the mid-2024 Gen Z uprising. He accused UDA of attempting to illegally exploit ODM's structures built over two decades.

"It should be understood that currently ODM is a distinct political party, and it is not an appendage to the UDA party. The broad-based arrangement does not provide for how the two parties will handle the 2027 elections going forward," Osotsi declared.

He urged party members to resist the infiltration attempts, terming them illegal acts.