A splinter group within Kenya’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), spearheaded by Saboti MP Caleb Amisi and Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, is gearing up for a major political announcement this Sunday in Saboti, Trans Nzoia. The event, dubbed the Lukhome Declaration, is positioning itself as a rallying point for ODM members dissatisfied with the party’s ongoing cooperation with the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

Amisi describes the Lukhome forum as the “genesis of a youth renaissance,” signaling a push for renewed democratic activism. “We have assembled into one massive movement to change the country democratically,” he stated.

The internal unrest traces back to ODM leader Raila Odinga’s March 7 agreement with President William Ruto, which saw senior ODM figures—such as John Mbadi, Opiyo Wandayi, Hassan Joho, and Wycliffe Oparanya—cozy up to the government. Critics like Amisi have compared the pact to the controversial 2018 “handshake” with former President Uhuru Kenyatta, arguing it yielded little for the party.

Tensions have escalated, prompting Odinga to convene ODM’s Central Management Committee in a bid to preserve unity and address emerging factionalism. Nonetheless, Sifuna has doubled down, declaring the ODM-UDA alliance “effectively dead” due to UDA’s alleged failure to uphold a 10-point joint agenda.

Despite recently proposing a joint technical team to implement the agreement, Sifuna remains a vocal critic of ODM’s current direction. The Lukhome Declaration is widely seen as a critical inflection point that may redefine the party’s identity and trajectory.