ODM Central Committee addressing the press after a meeting in Nairobi on July 29th 2025 where they reaffirmed support for President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government. The party, through its Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, said that this now acts as the official party position. [Collins Oduor, Standard]
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) plans to hold its 20th anniversary in Mombasa and has lined up a series of events to mark the fete scheduled for next month.
In a statement announcing the event, planned for October 10-12, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said the ceremony would feature a youth summit, a women’s convention, a youth concert and a football tournament involving Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards, Bandari FC and Shabana FC.
“In addition, build-up events will be staged across the country, with major highlights in Migori and Wajir counties, as part of ODM’s commitment to inclusivity and grassroots participation,” said Sifuna, ODM’s secretary general, adding that the event would reflect on its “struggles, victories, and lessons that continue to shape our vision for a just, united, and prosperous Kenya.”
Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp
ODM, founded in 2005, sprang from an opposition movement that rejected and defeated a state-sponsored push to change Kenya’s former Constitution. The Raila-led party won a landslide victory in a referendum that pitted the opposition veteran against the late former President Mwai Kibaki.
The two would face off in a controversial election in 2007, in which Kibaki was announced the winner, but whose result the elections commission and international observers agreed was flawed.
ODM, grounded in social democratic principles, has had a chequered history. The country’s main opposition party for the last three successive electoral cycles has spent most of its 20 years of existence as an opposition party, and others in between the political lines.
In March, it entered into an unusual partnership with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance, which has cast it largely as part of the ruling party, even though some of its members, like Sifuna, resist alliances with UDA.
“The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) marks two decades of resilience, sacrifice, and unyielding commitment to democracy, justice, and the people of Kenya. As the Party that has stood at the forefront of defending constitutionalism and people’s rights, we take pride in inviting our members, supporters, and all Kenyans to our 20th anniversary celebrations,” Sifuna said.
There is a growing debate about whether the party still defends the people’s rights owing to Raila’s associations with Ruto, which Sifuna sought to dispel in his statement.
“As we celebrate this milestone, we reaffirm ODM’s enduring pledge to the people of Kenya: to continue being the beacon of hope, the custodian of democracy, and the unrelenting defender of justice.”
Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp
ODM Central Committee addressing the press after a meeting in Nairobi on July 29th 2025 where they reaffirmed support for President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government. The party, through its Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, said that this now acts as the official party position.
[Collins Oduor, Standard]
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) plans to hold its 20th anniversary in Mombasa and has lined up a series of events to mark the fete scheduled for next month.
In a statement announcing the event, planned for October 10-12, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said the ceremony would feature a youth summit, a women’s convention, a youth concert and a football tournament involving Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards, Bandari FC and Shabana FC.
“In addition, build
-up events will be staged across the country, with major highlights in Migori and Wajir counties, as part of ODM’s commitment to inclusivity and grassroots participation,” said Sifuna, ODM’s secretary general, adding that the event would reflect on its “struggles, victories, and lessons that continue to shape our vision for a just, united, and prosperous Kenya.”
Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp
ODM, founded in 2005, sprang from an opposition movement that rejected and defeated a state-sponsored push to change Kenya’s former Constitution. The Raila-led party won a landslide victory in a referendum that pitted the opposition veteran against the late former President Mwai Kibaki.
The two would face off in a controversial election in 2007, in which Kibaki was announced the winner, but whose result the elections commission and international observers agreed was flawed.
ODM, grounded in
social democratic principles, has had a chequered history. The country’s main opposition party for the last three successive electoral cycles has spent most of its 20 years of existence as an opposition party, and others in between the political lines.
In March, it entered into an unusual partnership with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance, which has cast it largely as part of the ruling party, even though some of its members, like Sifuna, resist alliances with UDA.
“The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) marks two decades of resilience, sacrifice, and unyielding commitment to democracy, justice, and the people of Kenya. As the Party that has stood at the forefront of defending constitutionalism and people’s rights, we take pride in inviting our members, supporters, and all Kenyans to our 20th anniversary celebrations,” Sifuna said.
There is a growing
debate about whether the party still defends the people’s rights owing to Raila’s associations with Ruto, which Sifuna sought to dispel in his statement.
“As we celebrate this milestone, we reaffirm ODM’s enduring pledge to the people of Kenya: to continue being the beacon of hope, the custodian of democracy, and the unrelenting defender of justice.”
Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp
By Brian Otieno