ODM leader Raila Odinga.
By IP Reporter.
NAIROBI .
Once the face of defiance and grassroots resistance, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) now finds itself on uncertain ground.
Once praised for championing democracy and citizen rights, the party’s recent actions — or lack thereof — have sparked accusations of betrayal from longtime supporters.
From its founding, ODM drew strength from the streets. Images of leaders engulfed in teargas, decrying corruption and state brutality, built its legacy.
Today, many Kenyans are asking a stark question: Has ODM abandoned its resistance roots for political convenience?
From Resistance to Silence
ODM was once synonymous with opposition. It fiercely challenged rising taxes, government secrecy, and extrajudicial police force.
It stood against policies that deepened inequality and entrenched elite control.
Now, the same party seems to either endorse or ignore what it previously condemned.
Support for controversial financial bills, silence over ballooning public debt, and minimal objection to state crackdowns on protesters have left Kenyans questioning whether the opposition has become complicit.
Betraying the Base?
For many, the transformation feels like betrayal. Civil society groups and young voters who once saw ODM as a vehicle for change now feel abandoned.
Critics say the party offers only muted objections — or, worse, mirrors government narratives.
Political analysts describe ODM’s behavior as “pragmatic repositioning.” But among the hustling mwananchi, it feels more like political betrayal dressed up in elite strategy.
Has ODM Lost Its Soul?
In Kenya’s turbulent post-Handshake and bipartisan era, ODM appears to be navigating toward the political center. Some believe this is a calculated bid to remain relevant ahead of 2027 but this shift is not without cost.
Each compromise, critics argue, chips away at the party’s credibility.
Without a clear stance, ODM risks being seen as just another cog in the wheel of power — far removed from the people it once vowed to serve.
The Rise of a New Resistance?
As ODM tones down its confrontational tone, a void is emerging. Gen Z-led protests, activist-led platforms, and online resistance movements are gaining momentum.
These voices, untethered to old political loyalties, are now capturing public imagination and outrage.
ODM’s failure to lead on issues like police brutality, taxation, and economic hardship may soon make it irrelevant to the struggle it once championed.
A Moment of Reckoning.
If ODM continues down this path, it may find itself sidelined by newer, bolder movements unafraid to confront power.
The party must ask itself hard questions: Does it still speak for the people? Or has it been seduced by proximity to power?
Because in Kenya’s evolving political landscape, silence is not neutral — it’s a statement.
In politics, compromise is expected. But when compromise becomes complicity, movements lose their soul. ODM was born in the fires of public outrage and dreams of a better Kenya.
Today, it stands at a crossroads: reclaim its legacy or fade into irrelevance.
The people are watching. And they are no longer waiting.
— Intellectualspost.co.ke
ODM paid its price in repeated stolen elections, brutality and death among its followers including during the past post election violence. All these without any tangible benefit to its populate especially at the grassroots and the its bedrock. The party leader knows that his role in Kenyan politics is fast fading with his age. He cannot just exit without the followers of his party who have sacrificed so much reap no benefit.
ODM is only propping up what was the Kenyan pple’s(the one’s crying out loudest – not even genuine only because their point man was kicked out of govt ) choice as opposed to what ODM offered them.
ODM cannot be the to do used to do disgruntled pple’s dirty work. It is time for it to sit at table. Let those others do the activism and opposition.