A fresh storm is brewing inside Kenya’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) after Robert Alai, the outspoken Kileleshwa MCA, dismissed Winnie Odinga’s political standing and questioned her influence within the party.

Speaking in a series of posts shared on 15 November 2025, Alai said he was shocked that senior ODM leaders would “sit down and stomach” criticism from Winnie during the party’s 20th anniversary celebrations in Mombasa. The event, intended as a moment of unity, instead exposed growing disagreements over ODM’s direction.

Winnie had delivered an unusually fiery message at the ODM Youth League @20 meeting, accusing unnamed party figures of trying to “auction the party”. She warned that ODM’s identity had been forged “in the streets, not in bedrooms or pillow talks,” and insisted that the party would not be sold off quietly.

Alai pushed back sharply.

“How dare you allow a political neophyte like Winnie to lecture you like children?” he wrote.

He argued that Winnie’s relationship to the late Raila Odinga does not automatically grant her authority in the party.

“Winnie Odinga doesn’t have the political experience to give anyone direction in ODM. She isn’t even a party official,” he said.

Alai went further, criticising Winnie’s remarks about unnamed female ODM leaders allegedly “sleeping with Ruto to sell the party”.

“The fact that you are the daughter of Baba doesn’t give you the right to insult female leaders,” he wrote, calling her comments “shameful” and “extremely unfortunate”.

He urged senior ODM figures, including Gladys Wanga and Junet Mohamed, to “protect the interests of the party” and prevent internal disputes from destabilising the movement.

Accusations of Hidden Political Agendas

Alai also pointed fingers at ODM leaders opposed to the party’s engagement with President William Ruto’s government. He accused Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and others of acting as “agents” for former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, suggesting they were pushing loyal party members out.

These remarks reflect a deeper tension within ODM over its political future, particularly as the 2027 elections draw closer. Some leaders have openly supported working with the Kenya Kwanza government, while others argue that ODM risks losing its identity by softening its stance.

A Party at a Crossroads

The dispute at the anniversary celebration underscored a growing divide — not just between younger and older voices, but between those who believe ODM should remain firmly in the opposition and those calling for broader political cooperation.

A comment made during the event by a senior Cabinet Secretary aligned with ODM further fuelled the debate. He stated that only a handful of top ODM principals had the mandate to speak for the party, a view that mirrored Alai’s position and raised questions about who holds legitimate authority.

What was meant to mark two decades of the party instead revealed the cracks many had suspected. ODM now faces a difficult internal conversation: who leads, who speaks, and what direction the party will take after the passing of Raila Odinga — the man who shaped its identity.