CS John Mbadi: Sifuna must go!

CS John Mbadi: Sifuna must go!

Treasury CS John Mbadi has launched a scathing attack on ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, declaring that his time in the party is over.

Speaking in Nyatike during a church service, Mbadi said Sifuna is conflicted and no longer has a future within the Orange Democratic Movement.

“Someone like Sifuna has no chance in ODM because he is already conflicted. He is now selling someone else's agenda. Why are you pretending? You cannot keep him in the party. He is gone! Allow him to go!” Mbadi said.

Mbadi referenced his tenure as ODM chair, noting that he once ensured that then-SG Ababu Namwamba did not ‘behave the same way.’

“Sifuna does not even know where the registration certificate of ODM is,” he added, dismissing claims of power said to come with the SG position.

“If we want ODM to survive, we MUST get rid of Sifuna”- Finance CS John Mbadi pic.twitter.com/60sUFN2DT1

— Jim Njue (@jimNjue_) February 9, 2026

The CS also emphasised the need for a cohesive party, saying officials have been speaking on opposite sides and calling on leadership to crack the whip on errant members.

Mbadi’s remarks followed a political rally in Busia, where Sifuna attended alongside Siaya Governor James Orengo and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, both close allies of the late Raila Odinga. The function was heavily attended. 

Online reactions to Mbadi’s statements were mixed. Some criticised him for straying from his CS role, while others defended Sifuna.

“He's fulfilling a harmful manifesto of a man who oppressed him, yet Sifuna is standing on the values of the party,” wrote one user on X.

“Being ‘conflicted’ is not grounds for expulsion from a democratic party like ODM, which prides itself on internal democracy, diversity of thought, and robust debate,” another added.

The Orange Democratic Movement is currently embroiled in a high-stakes leadership dispute following the formal installation of Oburu Oginga as Party Leader, a move contested by a faction led by Winnie Odinga.

Winnie has, in previous interviews, described the transition as “unconstitutional” and “secretive,” demanding an immediate National Delegates Convention to ratify any permanent changes and prevent what she calls “family-imposed” decisions.

Tensions have escalated between the party’s “old guard” and secretariat, with Oburu accusing Sifuna of blurring the line between personal opinion and party policy after he questioned the legitimacy of the current leadership on national television.

At the core of the dispute is a deep ideological rift.

While the interim leadership seeks a “broad-based” partnership with President Ruto’s government, the younger faction argues that such secret alignments betray ODM’s reformist roots.