"Tuko tayari kufunga": Ole Lenku threatens to ditch ODM, join Linda Mwananchi

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- Governor Joseph Ole Lenku issued a public ultimatum to ODM leadership over what he described as a betrayal of the party's Kajiado members

- Ole Lenku warned that ODM aspirants in Kajiado, including his deputy Martin Moshisho Martine, could defect to Edwin Sifuna's Linda Mwananchi movement

- The governor accused ODM leaders of campaigning in Kajiado for a non-party candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial race

Nancy Odindo is a current affairs writer at Tuko.co.ke (joined in 2023). She has one year of experience in print and more than five years in digital media.

Kajiado governor Joseph Ole Lenku has publicly threatened to shut down the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in the county and lead a mass exodus to the Linda Mwananchi movement, citing what he described as a betrayal by the party's national leadership.

Speaking on Saturday, August 22, Ole Lenku said some ODM leaders had campaigned in Kajiado on behalf of a gubernatorial candidate who does not hold party membership, a move he condemned as a direct affront to loyal party members in the region.

Ole Lenku's ultimatum to ODM

The governor traced Kajiado's ODM roots back to a period when the party had only two Members of County Assembly, arguing that local leaders built the party's strength out of respect for the late former prime minister Raila Odinga.

He warned that the same goodwill could be withdrawn if the national leadership failed to account for its actions.

"ODM will be closed in Kajiado. It is us who brought ODM and the respect it currently enjoys. We are ready to shut it when you continue to betray us," Ole Lenku said, directing his remarks at the incumbent party leader and Siaya senator Oburu Odinga.

He called for a formal apology from the party and warned that without one, Kajiado's ODM aspirants including his deputy, Martin Moshisho Martine, who is also eyeing the governorship, would transfer their support to Linda Mwananchi.

Ole Lenku said he had so far restrained Moshisho from taking the full team to the movement but could no longer guarantee that position.

"All those aspirants will join Linda Mwananchi and that is our road," he said.

Ole Lenku warns against betraying the Maa community

Ole Lenku drew a parallel between the anticipated defection and the movement of UDA Members of County Assembly, noting that roughly 70% of UDA MCAs had previously defected to the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP).

He framed Kajiado's potential departure from ODM in similar terms, warning the party's leadership that they were dealing with a politically aware community.

"You are dealing with a new Maa nation that knows its democratic rights and is ready to fight for it," the governor said.

ODM infighting and the Linda Mwananchi factor

Meanwhile, Ole Lenku's remarks come amid deepening divisions within ODM following the dramatic removal of Senator Edwin Sifuna as the party's secretary general, a development that occurred months after the death of the long-time party leader, Raila.

Sifuna, among other members, subsequently launched the Linda Mwananchi movement, which has attracted growing support from disenchanted ODM members across the country.

Members from Kwale county recently joined the movement, citing political manipulation, internal harassment, and the need for broader democratic reforms.

Calls have also grown louder for Sifuna to contest the presidency in the 2027 General Election.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.