Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has come to the defence of embattled ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, insisting that his sentiments and actions mean well for the Orange party.

In a lengthy statement on Facebook on Thursday, February 5, Ruth could not fathom why fellow Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) members would attack Senator Sifuna, label him a ‘rebel’, yet he was only pushing for the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in March 2025 between President William Ruto and the late Raila Odinga.

“Considering the evident struggle (read lack of political goodwill) in the implementation of the MoU, the last thing we should do, if we mean well for the Party, is to muffle the voices of people like Sifuna,” Ruth wrote, insisting that “If indeed he is a ‘rebel’, then how many times was Raila Odinga one? Even in the ‘nusu mkate’ government Raila would still stand his ground.”

Who is funding ODM million-shilling events?

In a recent interview on Citizen TV, Sifuna vehemently questioned the source of money used to fund recent ‘Linda Ground’ rallies across the country, yet in his capacity as a high-ranking official of the party, he was aware that ODM had not spend any coin on the events.

But according to Ruth, those feeling aggrieved by Sifuna’s statement should be answering his tough questions instead of castigating him.

“As a signatory to the ODM account, if he questions where all the money for choppers, big tents and ODM branded t-shirts and caps in the ‘Linda Ground’ conventions are coming from, why should anyone abuse him?”

Ruth added: “Are governors funding the campaigns? Are MPs doing it from CDF kitty? Did we get a philanthropist that a Party SG is not aware of who is funding the clearly expensive public fora? And what is in it for the ‘philanthropist’?”

ODM debts

The ODM has — not once, not twice — claimed that the National Treasury owes the party a staggering KSh2.6 billion in unpaid political party funding.

With political party funding being a constitutional requirement based on the srength of political parties in Kenya’s Bicameral Parliament, Ruth reads mischief in why the same money being spend in these rallies cannot be sent to the party to clear the debts.

“The money flying in choppers, being used to procure big tents and to mobilize and brand crowds in ODM colors, yet the same money cannot be sent to the ODM Party bank accounts only means one thing: control.”

According to Ruth, President William Ruto’s government has an option of releasing the funds to ODM Party, but it has chose not to to gain undue control of the political outfit.

“So they must be the ones controlling the show, where they decide who is ‘invited’ to the Linda Ground tents, and what they say once they get there. Anything outside the script attracts immediate booing as it was the case with Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo at the Ciala Resort in Kisumu.”

Ruth concludes her statement by painting a grim picture of the ODM Party in the near future.

“Because I have already been labelled a ‘rebel’, I must put these here so that when the going will get tough – and it surely will – you won’t accuse me of being mute.

“It is not really upon the committee implementing the 10-point agenda (COIN-10); the buck stops with bearer of the signature in the MoU, who is none other than President William Ruto. We have up to March 7 to see how this goes.”