'Sit down and talk', Mama Ida tells Sifuna, Junet over ODM wrangles

Over the past couple of days, ODM Secretary General and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has been at loggerheads with the party’s Director of Elections and Suna East MP Junet Mohamed over the handling of campaign funds during Raila Odinga’s failed 2022 presidential bid. 

The public spat between the two leaders has underscored simmering cracks in the party during the post-Raila era. 

While honouring Raila's legacy on his 81st birthday at Karen on Wednesday, Mama Ida called on the senior leadership to reflect deeply regarding the party's ambitions and agree to bury the hatchet. 

"It is my wish that we can preserve the party in his honour as a matter of service to the country.  I appeal to those he left in leadership to reflect deeply and sincerely on his dreams for the party and our country," she stated. 

"Let us support the problems of the party by asking ourselves what Baba would do. Your guess is as good as mine. Baba would tell us, let us sit down and talk and that's my wish; to talk about our differences."

She pointed out that Raila served the ODM party by holding consultations with various officials and the members of the public before arriving at any decision. 

Mama Ida underscored Raila’s deep love for ODM and said party leaders should honour his wishes by working together to keep the party strong and united.

"Baba had another love, ODM. I thank the party and staff who served baba in life and death. Baba ran ODM with dedication, firm and fair hands. He ran ODM on the principle of constant consultation and always referring to the people."

The fallout between Sifuna and Junet came into the open during the burial of Embakasi North MP James Gakuya’s mother, when the Nairobi senator accused the lawmaker of pocketing campaign funds from former President Uhuru Kenyatta instead of paying agents, a claim Sifuna said contributed to Raila’s defeat in key battlegrounds.

Junet, however, retorted by claiming that the funds were shared within Uhuru’s inner circle, and even partly to Sifuna himself. 

The rift between the duo split party members, with factions taking sides and trading accusations. Sifuna’s political conduct also came under scrutiny, with Migori Senator Eddy Oketch seeking his removal from the party leadership over alleged gross misconduct.

However, Oketch later withdrew the motion, saying he had opted to honour the late Raila Odinga’s belief in dialogue as the preferred method of dispute resolution.