How police guarded Oburu's SDC, but disrupted Sifuna's meeting
Politics
By
Okumu Modachi
| Mar 28, 2026
At the height of mounting tensions within the ODM party, parallel meetings exposed a deepening internal rift now entangled in claims of State interference linked to President William Ruto.
What unfolded in Nairobi where two rival gatherings treated with starkly different levels of State response.
At the Jamhuri Showground, a heavily guarded Special Delegates Convention proceeded under the watch of a strong police presence. Uniformed officers stations at different points starting from Ngong Road junction leading to the venue controlled access, screened delegates, and kept away perceived dissenters.
Around mid-morning, some who put a human shield at the junction lobbed teargas to disperse youths trying to force their way to the venue.
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This was after the officers briefly engaged in a verbal exchange with the group of youths whose numbers kept swelling. Some of the disgruntled delegates expressed frustration with the security checks, claiming that has not been the norm at party functions.
“Why must the police check me to attend Baba’s party event?” posed one delegate.
The lobbing of teargas later proceeded along Ngong Road to push the groups further as tensions mounted.
There were two layers of security along the Jamhuri Road- the first at the junction where it joins Ngong Road and another midway to ensure that those without an invitation did not gain access.
Just a few kilometres away at Ufungamano House, the police blocked access to a rival “people’s NDC” led by Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, ousted Deputy Party Leader Godfrey Osotsi and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.
The leaders later overpowered the police, even as two police water canons and equal number of police lorries sealed off the road. Shortly after Sifuna took to the centre stage to make his address, the police officers stormed the venue, disrupting the proceedings.
Sifuna and Babu moved to plead with the officers. “We don’t have a problem with police. If the OCS wants to address us, let him come upfront. We’ll give him a chance,” said the Nairobi Senator.
The leaders accused President Ruto of having a hand in the outfit’s affairs, criticising any cooperation between ODM and the government.
“We cannot support a system that uses police to disrupt political meetings,” he stated, adding that ODM must remain true to Raila Odinga’s ideals.
Babu dismissed the Oburu-led SDC, saying:“That meeting was an illegal meeting; it was not procedurally called. We can only attend an NDC if the delegates are audited. If Sifuna does not call the NDC, then it will not be an NDC. It will be a Kangaroo meeting.”
Osotsi accused the rival faction of working with the government to take over the party. “They have arranged an illegal meeting while ours is the legitimate one. The President is using police to block us,” he said.
At the same time, a delegate from Kisumu West constituency claimed that each was paid Sh9,000 to attend.
“We received the money immediately we boarded our bus in Kisumu. That was all for fare and meals and accommodation,” he said.
Political analyst Ian Horsefield contends that the stark disparity in State response between the two gatherings justifies the claims that President Ruto’s administration is actively meddling in the party’s internal affairs.
According to Horsefield, the SDC was more important to the Head of State who is angling support from ODM.
“It is advantageous to him (President) that this SDC happens so that they ratify the decision for the party to work together with UDA,” he said.