Passaris faults Sifuna for mixing personal views with official ODM party position
Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has criticised the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary-General, Edwin Sifuna, accusing him of allowing his personal opinions to be presented as official party positions.
Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Monday, February 16, 2026, Passaris said Sifuna, despite holding a senior role within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), had failed to respect party structures and leadership.
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She described him as an absolute letdown, claiming he sometimes acted as though he was bigger than the party.
“Edwin Sifuna knows that ODM has structures, and as the Secretary General, he has been an absolute letdown because he believes he is bigger than ODM,” she stated.
According to Passaris, ODM operates under established structures and collective decision-making processes, which all members, including the secretary general, are expected to uphold.
Further, she stated that Sifuna did not consistently adhere to these structures and, at times, failed to respect the party leader.
“Towards the end, he failed to respect the party leader, Baba. I remember there was a time the party leader called him and said tone down we have the 10-point agenda, we are in the broad-based government, tone down. He didn’t listen to baba and that is really sad,” she said.
Passaris argued that Sifuna’s conduct had created confusion by blurring the line between personal views and official party communication, particularly given the weight his office carries.
“Sifuna has allowed his personal views to be communicated as official party positions from the office he holds,” she added.
The ouster
This comes a few days after Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna was replaced by Catherine Omanyo as the Secretary-General of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
In a statement on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, the ODM Party said the decision was reached after a meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) held in Mombasa.
“The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) held its meeting in Mombasa on 11th February 2026 to deliberate on critical party matters and the prevailing political environment,” part of the ODM Party statement reads.
According to the statement, the meeting involved extensive consultations and deliberations on internal party affairs, leadership conduct, and the general direction of the party.
The NEC emphasized that its decisions were anchored on the party constitution and established governance structures.
“The NEC expressed grave concern over the rising levels of indiscipline within the Party, particularly at the senior leadership level,” the statement reads. It further notes that “ODM is governed by its Constitution, the rule of law, and collective decision-making through its duly constituted organs.”
“Having deliberated on matters relating to the conduct of the Secretary General, Sen. Edwin Sifuna, the NEC resolved to remove him from office with immediate effect in accordance with the Party Constitution and applicable laws,” the statement reads.
