Defiant Sifuna attacks Ruto again, accuses him of undermining devolution
During the politically charged rally, the ODM Secretary-General also castigated Ruto, accusing him of undermining devolution.
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna on Saturday castigated Ruto, accusing him of undermining devolution.
Addressing residents of Kitui County on Saturday afternoon, the Nairobi Senator claimed that the current leadership, headed by Ruto, had failed Kenyans, including governors, who, he alleged, were struggling to run counties due to budget constraints.
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Sifuna reiterated that his political stance was motivated by the pursuit of better governance rather than personal ambition.
“You know the biggest enemy of devolution is the national government led by President William Ruto. The biggest problem in this country is at the State House,” he said.
“My biggest goal now is not to become a governor; my goal is to ensure we get a better president who believes in devolution,” he added.
During the politically charged rally, Sifuna also affirmed that Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka was one of his coalition principals, a claim that may draw criticism from loyalists of party leader Raila Odinga.
The Nairobi Senator, whose criticism of Raila’s so-called “broad-based” pact with President Ruto has irked proponents of the arrangement, has recently been under intense political pressure to publicly declare where his loyalties lie.
Sifuna dismissed claims that either the Wiper Party or ODM was defecting from the Azimio la Umoja coalition. He insisted that the ODM party remained firmly in the opposition coalition.
According to the lawmaker, both Wiper and ODM remained united under Azimio, despite speculation that ODM had joined the Kenya Kwanza coalition.
“People fail to recognise that ODM and Wiper are still in one coalition called Azimio. I recognise Kalonzo Musyoka as my leader under the Azimio coalition. I also recognise Wiper party members as fellow coalition members,” Sifuna stated.
He emphasised the need for unity between Wiper and ODM to mount an effective challenge against the current regime.
Critisising Ruto
Sifuna’s open criticism of Ruto’s administration directly contradicted the position of his party leader, who just a day earlier had expressed support for the same regime.
Raila, speaking during the burial of veteran women’s rights champion Phoebe Asiyo on Friday, August 8, defended his decision to work with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
The former Prime Minister revealed that his cooperation with Ruto would extend beyond the 2027 General Election.
“When the right time comes, we will face Kenyans and tell them why we did this and where we want to go,” Raila said.
“I have no doubt; you can make noise as much as you want, but we will be able to move beyond 2027. I am confident we will move beyond 2027, and nobody should try to threaten us,” he added.
Sifuna’s remarks come barely a week after the party held a high-level crisis meeting to forge a united stance on his position regarding support for Ruto’s administration.
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