Lawyer and political activist Miguna Miguna has defended the Orange Democratic Movement’s decision to remove Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna from the position of secretary-general, saying leaders who fundamentally disagree with their parties should resign on principle.
In a series of posts on his X account, Miguna drew parallels between Sifuna’s current situation and his own departure from ODM in 2011 after falling out with party leader the late Raila Odinga.
“When I disagreed with Raila Odinga on issues of governance, grand corruption in his office by him and his cronies, the failure to implement the constitution, and betrayal of the Kenyan progressive forces in 2011, I resigned from ODM and turned down his reinstatement,” Miguna said.
According to Miguna, political leaders should not cling to positions in parties whose ideals they no longer support.
“One should not cling on to a political party and public office if one strongly disagrees with the political party and head of the government he serves,” he added.
Miguna argued that ODM was legally, constitutionally and morally justified in removing Sifuna from the Secretary-General position, insisting that party officials must support the leadership and policies of the parties they serve.
“You can’t be the secretary general of a political party you don’t believe in,” he stated.
He further challenged Sifuna and members of what he termed the “Linda Tumbo Group” to either leave ODM or form a political outfit aligned with their beliefs.
Miguna also accused Sifuna of political hypocrisy, noting that the Nairobi senator publicly signed the ODM-UDA cooperation agreement in 2024 but has since become one of its critics.
“If Edwin Sifuna is principled, he should resign from ODM. Clinging on to ODM is both hypocritical and cowardly,” Miguna said.
His remarks came hours after ODM formally removed Sifuna from his position as secretary-general following a disciplinary process announced by ODM interim secretary-general Catherine Omanyo.
