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Sifuna meets Governor Nassir amid mounting calls for his ouster
28th July, 2025 06:19 PM
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, on Monday, July 28, 2025, held talks with Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir at his office in Mombasa. The meeting came at a time when Sifuna has been facing criticism from a section of ODM leaders.
During the meeting, which he describes as a courtesy call, Sifuna, whose main task as senator is being a custodian of devolution, reiterated his commitment to ensuring the success of devolution for the benefit of Kenyans.
The discussions, according to Sifuna, centered on strengthening collaboration between leaders to enhance service delivery and development in the counties.
“Courtesy call on the Mombasa Governor @A_S_Nassir at his office this morning. I have reiterated my commitment to ensure devolution succeeds for the benefit of our people. Nitazidi.” Sifuna said.
These meetings come at a time when Edwin Sifuna, ODM’s Secretary General, has emerged as a vocal critic of the alliance between the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
His opposition has created friction with party leaders and sparked significant internal conflict as ODM navigates its identity and strategy ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Sifuna’s Stand on Broad-Based Engagement:
Sifuna has firmly opposed ODM’s cooperation with the Kenya Kwanza government, declaring the ODM-UDA MoU “dead” due to unfulfilled government promises and issues such as extrajudicial killings, including the death of blogger Albert Ojwang.
He argues that prolonged ties with the Ruto administration risk eroding ODM’s opposition identity, confusing its grassroots base, and undermining its readiness for the 2027 elections.
He emphasised the need for ODM to disengage from the unpopular regime to reorganise and reconnect with voters, a position that has put him at odds with leaders favouring the broad-based government.
Backlash from leaders
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma has called for Sifuna’s resignation as Secretary General and Senate Minority Leader, labelling his leadership divisive. Treasury CS John Mbadi has criticised Sifuna for making uncoordinated remarks, urging him to respect Raila Odinga’s authority.
COTU’s Francis Atwoli initially demanded that Sifuna align with the party or leave but later acknowledged his strong grassroots support during the ODM National Delegates Conference on July 25, 2025. Raila Odinga defended Sifuna’s right to express personal views but clarified that they do not reflect ODM’s official position.
