Tension rose on Friday morning after organizers of a parallel Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Special Delegates Conference (SDC) found their planned meeting blocked.
Police blocked Ufungamano Conference along Mamlaka Road, saying the meeting will not be allowed.
The meeting was called by a group of disgruntled ODM members led by Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, Geoffrey Osotsi, James Orengo, and Babu Owino, among others. It was to be parallel to another one that was planned by the group led by ODM leader Oburu Odinga.
Police kept patrolling the area and declared the Ufangamano one will not go on.
The police told the organisers to move theirs to any other day.
This stocked tension as some of the delegates started streaming in with some University of Nairobi students also curiously demanding to know the motivation for the move.
Police said they were ready to deal with the situation as the organisers went to the social media insisting the meeting would go on.
Osotsi said; “We, the People, shall gather for the people’s NDC at Ufungamano house, Mamlaka Road.”
Another delegate said; “Just arrived at Ufungamano House and police have barricaded the gate, blocking access.
We need you here in large NUMBERS. A people united can never be defeated.”
Tension rose in the area with police dispersing any gathering. Those being dispersed said police were being used to manage political party affairs.
Meanwhile the meeting at ASK Jamhuri Grounds went on well uninterrupted and under tight security.
This came after ODMC welcomed a ruling by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) that struck out a complaint filed by Sifuna.
It also cleared the way for the party’s Special Delegates Conference (SDC) scheduled for Friday.
Sifuna and his team also announced a parallel meeting in the city.
The party said the Tribunal dismissed Sifuna’s case for failing to exhaust internal dispute resolution mechanisms, affirming the primacy of party processes in handling internal disputes.
In a related case, the Tribunal also declined to suspend resolutions of the National Executive Committee (NEC) after a petition by journalist Vincent Chepkwony.
“In the Sen. Edwin Sifuna vs ODM case, the Tribunal struck out the complaint for failure to invoke the Party’s Internal Dispute Resolution Mechanism (IDRM), reaffirming that exhaustion of internal remedies is a mandatory precondition to the Tribunal’s jurisdiction and that it lacks authority to waive this requirement,” read the statement signed by Director of Communications Philip Etale.
“Similarly, in the case filed by journalist Vincent Chepkwony against the ODM Party, the Tribunal declined to grant interim orders staying the NEC resolutions of 11th February 2026, finding that the Complainant had not demonstrated that the Complaint would be rendered nugatory.”
The ruling is the latest development in a dispute triggered by a February 11, 2026 NEC meeting in Mombasa that resolved to remove Nairobi Senator Sifuna as Secretary General over disciplinary concerns.
According to the Tribunal, public interest considerations weighed in favour of allowing the party to proceed with its internal processes uninterrupted.
The party described the rulings as a boost to internal democracy and dispute resolution frameworks.
“The ODM Party hails the PPDT for the two decisions as a milestone in promoting Democracy and ensuring that aggrieved parties engage in Internal Disputes Resolution mechanisms as a means of solving issues,” Etale noted.
Sifuna had moved to the Tribunal seeking to block his ouster, initially securing interim orders that barred the implementation and gazettement of the decision.
However, ODM challenged the case, arguing that the matter had not been subjected to internal party mechanisms as required under the Political Parties Act.
The party underscored that the two decisions mean its earlier resolutions remain in force, paving the way for the SDC to proceed as planned.
“Consequently, the resolutions remain in force and the Special Delegates Conference (SDC) scheduled for tomorrow (Friday, March 27, 2026) will go on as planned,” Etale added.
ODM invited accredited delegates to attend the Special Delegates Conference.
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