A senior member of Kenya’s opposition has said that two of the Orange Democratic Movement’s most visible figures, Babu Owino and Edwin Sifuna, have stayed away from the country’s broad-based government because of the political realities of Nairobi.
Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo, speaking on Monday, said urban politics in the capital tend to tilt towards opposition, making it risky for leaders who rely on city voters to be seen aligning themselves with the government. “What is the position of the people whose voters are primarily in Nairobi?” she asked. “Of course not broad-based, which is very normal in urban politics anywhere in the world. They are usually very oppositionist in nature.”
Ms Odhiambo said political loyalty is shaped by interests, and that both men would face pressure from their supporters if they were to shift their stance. “In politics, people look out also for their own interests,” she said. “For me, I can go to Suba and say I am broad-based. But Nairobi is a totally different dynamic.”
She added that Kenya’s politics still have a strong ethnic dimension, even in the country’s largest city. While Nairobi is more mixed than rural counties, ethnic voting patterns remain influential. “Let us also be realistic about the nature of our politics in Kenya. It is very ethnic-based,” she said. “You would want to hope that in urban places like Nairobi it is not, but it is.”
Her remarks come as the two ODM leaders continue to distance themselves from the broad-based government arrangement championed by President William Ruto and the late opposition leader Raila Odinga. In August, both men skipped a joint ODM–UDA parliamentary group meeting chaired by the President and Mr Odinga in Karen.
Mr Sifuna, who is also ODM’s Secretary-General, has previously cautioned party members against using the term “broad-based” without understanding its meaning. Speaking on 30 October, he said the phrase had become a political catchword stripped of context. “It has become fashionable for people to throw around this thing,” he said. “I want to remind them that Broad-Based is built on a 10-point agenda.”
He added that the document outlining the initiative was authored by Mr Odinga himself, urging leaders to read it before debating its contents. “Baba himself told the country that he’s the one who wrote that thing,” he said. “So don’t argue with me about its contents.”
The comments from Ms Odhiambo reflect the broader tension within ODM as the party adapts to shifting alliances ahead of the next electoral cycle. For now, Babu Owino and Mr Sifuna remain among those keeping a clear distance from the unity-focused arrangement — a stance, she suggests, shaped less by defiance and more by Nairobi’s unique political terrain.