Former Deputy President and Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has made explosive claims that President William Ruto is quietly engineering a political takeover of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) through senior party figures in a move designed to fracture the opposition vote ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Addressing congregants and political allies during a Sundayservicein Nyeri , Gachagua alleged that Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Ali Joho is central to what he described as a State-backed plan to weaken ODM from within should the party refuse to formally back President Ruto’s re-election bid.
A Party Adrift After Raila
Since the death of former Prime Minister and ODM founder Raila Odinga, ODM has struggled to settle the question of succession and ideological direction, creating fertile ground for internal power struggles.
According to Gachagua, Raila had privately indicated openness to working with President Ruto in 2027, but only under a structured political arrangement that would preserve ODM’s leverage. In Raila’s absence, those assurances—if any—remain contested.
“ODM is being deliberately pushed into confusion so it can be harvested in pieces,” a senior political insider allied to Gachagua told Channel 15 News.
Alleged directive to Joho and Oparanya
Gachagua claimed that President Ruto personally tasked Hassan Joho and Co-operatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya, both ODM deputy party leaders, with aggressively seeking control of the party’s top leadership positions to steer ODM as a friendly bloc aligned to the ruling UDA.
This alleged move has unsettled a powerful faction within ODM, particularly younger leaders and reformists including Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, Winnie Odinga, and senior party figures such as Siaya Governor James Orengo, who remain opposed to what they see as the dilution of ODM’s opposition identity.
Exit Options on the Table
Channel 15 News understands that should Joho and Oparanya fail to secure decisive influence within ODM, the two are prepared to walk away from the party, form new political outfits, and enter coalition agreements with President Ruto’s UDA, effectively splintering ODM’s traditional support base.
“This is a numbers game. The aim is not to win ODM—it is to divide it,” a senior ODM operative told Channel 15 Inside Politics.
Regional Vote-Splitting Blueprint
Under the alleged plan, Oparanya would anchor a new formation targeting the Luhya vote, a region already experiencing political shifts driven by the rise of the Tawe Movement, led by Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, with backing from Eugene Wamalwa and Boni Khalwale.
At the Coast, Joho, alongside Aisha Jumwa, Sammy Mvurya, and other senior ODM figures, is said to be tasked with fragmenting the Orange vote—an approach that appeared evident during the ODM @20 celebrations in Mombasa, where Joho publicly accused sections of the party of attempting to return ODM to opposition, remarks widely interpreted as a direct response to Edwin Sifuna’s hardline stance.
The Anti-Split Faction Pushes Back
However, resistance is mounting within government-aligned ODM figures.
Sources say Energy PS Opiyo Wandayi and Treasury CS John Mbadi oppose any ODM breakup and are pushing for structured party-wide negotiations to settle ODM’s 2027 position collectively.
Failing consensus, the faction is prepared to field ODM Chairperson Oburu Odinga as a presidential candidate, with backing from Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, in a bid to preserve the party’s institutional relevance.
Saturday’s ODM Meeting: Unity in Words, Division in Reality
The high-level ODM meeting held on Saturday publicly projected unity but privately exposed deep mistrust, insiders say.
While the official communique emphasized consultation and cohesion, sources describe tense exchanges and unresolved disagreements over ODM’s future role—either as an independent opposition force or a negotiated partner in government.
High Stakes for 2027
If ODM fractures along regional and generational lines, President Ruto stands to benefit from a weakened and divided opposition. Conversely, a united opposition front—anchored by ODM—could still reshape the 2027 race.
For now, ODM remains caught between consolidation and collapse, with the battle for its soul unfolding quietly—but decisively—behind the scenes.
