Nyakera: ODM talks like opposition but acts like govt

Former KICC Board Chairperson Irungu Nyakera has gone full throttle on ODM leader Raila Odinga and Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, accusing them of playing both sides, talking like the opposition while behaving like part of the government.

In a hard-hitting statement shared via his X account on Saturday, July 26, 2025, Nyakera said ODM’s recent conduct betrays the very ideals it claims to stand for. He accused the party of engaging in political doublespeak and failing to translate its rhetoric into meaningful action.

Nyakera referenced Raila Odinga’s recent public affirmation of Edwin Sifuna as the official voice of ODM. He argued that if Sifuna is indeed the party’s mouthpiece, then ODM must begin living up to his pronouncements. He cited several of Sifuna’s past statements, insisting they cannot remain mere soundbites without follow-through.

Among the key issues Nyakera highlighted was Sifuna’s frequent assertion that the current government is illegitimate. He challenged ODM to take a principled stand by walking out of any government-linked engagements if they truly believe the regime lacks legitimacy.

He further referenced Sifuna’s claim that President Ruto would be a “WANTAM” president, saying the party should already be strategising for his removal in 2027 rather than merely issuing verbal threats.

“Now that Baba has officially declared Sifuna as the ODM mouthpiece, Kenyans expect the party to walk its talk as follows: 1. Sifuna has called this government illegitimate. ODM must walk out! 2. Sifuna says Ruto will be a WANTAM president. ODM must therefore start preparing to remove Ruto from office in 2027,” he stated.

Nyakera also pointed to the Secretary General’s passionate public mourning of young protesters who lost their lives during recent demonstrations, as well as his tribute to fallen artist Brian Ojwang.

According to Nyakera, if ODM genuinely values those lives, the party should demand the resignation or sacking of key government officials such as the Inspector General of Police, the Interior Cabinet Secretary, and the Director of Criminal Investigations, all of whom were linked to the state’s brutal response to the protests.

He further accused ODM of inconsistency and internal contradiction. Despite Sifuna’s vocal support for Article 37 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to peaceful protest, Nyakera questioned why Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris was sponsoring a bill that would effectively limit that right.

He argued that the party cannot credibly champion civil liberties while simultaneously promoting legislation that curtails them.

Nyakera also criticised ODM’s silence on matters of state excesses and corruption. He cited the Ksh2 billion earmarked for constructing a church at State House, suggesting that ODM should have taken a firm stand against such spending if it was truly committed to fighting misuse of public funds.

“Sifuna cried for fallen youth during recent protests and for Ojwang. ODM must now demand the sackings of the IG, Interior CS & DCI boss. Sifuna has variously defended Article 37 on the right of Kenyans to demonstrate. ODM must condemn and discipline Esther Passaris for introducing a bill to gag protestors. Sifuna has condemned corruption and extravagance. ODM must speak out against the KSh 2bn State House church,” Nyakera added.

He raised questions about ODM’s endorsement of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja for a second term, despite Sifuna’s record of public criticism against him. Nyakera implied that such endorsements reflect a disturbing trend of political expediency overriding principle.

He also reiterated that ODM cannot continue to portray itself as the voice of the people while simultaneously aligning itself with the very systems and individuals it claims to oppose. According to Nyakera, the party is speaking like an opposition force but acting like it is firmly embedded within the structures of government.

“Sifuna has said Sakaja has failed. So why is Baba endorsing him for a 2nd term? Otherwise, ODM is talking like the Opposition but acting like the Government,” he concluded.

ODM-UDA deal dead

His remarks come just days after Edwin Sifuna publicly declared that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ODM and President William Ruto’s UDA party is dead.

Speaking in an interview on July 22, 2025, the Nairobi Senator revealed that he had warned ODM not to enter into the MoU in the first place.

“I have already declared this MoU dead,” Sifuna stated.

“I am on record having advised the party against doing this MoU with UDA, and we still went ahead and entered that MoU. But you see, the beauty is that you are proven right every day,” he said.

Sifuna accused President Ruto’s government of using the agreement purely for public relations.

“The problem with doing a formal MoU with UDA is that it didn’t matter what the MoU said. The people from UDA, the government, and William Ruto, is not interested in the details of the MoU… They wanted a document that they could then go and run a PR campaign around and say, ‘Tumeungana, we are together.’ That is not what this document says,” he explained.

He also revealed that he asked not to be part of a new team reviewing the MoU.

“I’m not a mortician. There’s no point in me going through a document I’ve already declared dead,” he said.

According to Sifuna, the MoU had two main goals: to protect lives and to preserve the democratic state until the 2027 elections. While he admitted the democratic state is holding on, he said the agreement has failed to protect lives.

“Ruto is getting his end of the bargain because the democratic state is getting sustained at least until 2027, but our people are not getting there. They are still being killed,” he lamented.

Sifuna pointed to the recent death of teacher Albert Ojwang in police custody as his breaking point.

“On the day that Albert Ojwang died in a police cell, to me this agreement was dead because it doesn’t matter what else you do, Albert will not be able to enjoy that,” he said.

He also revealed that he had shared all these frustrations directly with ODM party leader Raila Odinga.

“I have spoken with Raila (Baba). I’ve explained to him my frustrations, the difficulties of having to explain what we are doing with this rogue regime, and the confusion that has come to my mind because this is not what I was taught,” he shared.

Sifuna made it clear that his public remarks had been discussed privately with the ODM leader.

“Just know there’s nothing that I can say publicly that I haven’t said privately to my party leader,” he emphasised.