Tensions Rise as Sifuna Shuns Mutua’s Advice to Quit

Professor Makau Mutua, President William Ruto’s senior constitutional affairs adviser, recently stirred controversy by declaring Senator Edwin Sifuna’s continued presence as Secretary-General of ODM “untenable,” urging him to resign if he were “a man of principle.”

His statement was sharp and direct, declaring, “My good learned friend and Senator Edwin Sifuna appears to be in an UNTENABLE position as SG of ODM Party. It seems to me that the honorable thing for him to do if he’s a man of principle is to resign his post, which rarely happens in Kenya, unless one is sacked.”

 They came just a day after Sifuna skipped ODM’s broad-based parliamentary group meeting, fueling speculation about growing internal divisions.

Sifuna did not let the call go unanswered. In a pointed response on X, he dismissed Mutua’s intervention as a distraction and questioned why Mutua, newly tasked with coordinating compensation for victims of anti-government protests, would meddle in ODM’s internal affairs. He framed Mutua’s new assignment as heavy enough to preclude partisan commentary, concluding: “One would imagine that crown to be so heavy… not to allow the wearer time for anything else, let alone worrying about the SG of ODM, who isn’t even your friend.” 

The confrontation between Sifuna and Mutua brings more than just personal animosity to light; it underscores a broader struggle over ODM’s identity and direction.