ODM Deputy Party Leader and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi has accused the two leaders of deliberately avoiding a planned reconciliation meeting meant to ease growing tensions within the party.
Speaking during an interview with a local television station on Monday, January 19, Osotsi said the meeting was scheduled ahead of the party’s Central Management Committee (CMC) sitting held in Kilifi on January 12.
According to Osotsi, the meeting was convened following advice from Mama Ida Odinga, who had urged ODM leaders to resolve their differences privately to safeguard party unity after the death of founding leader Raila Odinga.
However, only Secretary General Edwin Sifuna honoured the invitation.
“Junet and Oburu did not turn up for the meeting, yet it was meant to iron out issues before the CMC gathering,” Osotsi said, adding that the two later appeared at the Kilifi meeting and made unilateral declarations that further fuelled divisions.
The Vihiga senator also criticised how recent ODM activities in Western Kenya have been conducted, saying key party organs and leaders were sidelined.
He pointed to the ongoing “Linda Ground” campaigns, arguing they were rushed and lacked consensus.
Osotsi further cited chaos witnessed during ODM engagements in Kakamega, where Governor Fernandes Barasa and Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya held parallel meetings, a move he said exposed internal disorganisation.
“Our focus should be on the Ten-Point Agenda Raila left us with, not hurried coalition talks,” he said.
While Oburu has played down the rift and pledged to lead reconciliation efforts, the latest revelations have intensified debate over leadership direction and cohesion within ODM as the party navigates a delicate transition period.
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