The concerns were raised during a high-level engagement attended by ODM party leader Oburu Oginga, party chairperson Gladys Wanga, and Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, among other top officials.
According to insiders, the leadership is alarmed by what they describe as a calculated strategy by the president’s United Democratic Alliance, UDA, to penetrate and weaken ODM’s grassroots structures, particularly in Western Kenya.
The region has traditionally been a stronghold of ODM, but recent political realignments are said to be shifting loyalties on the ground.
The situation is viewed as especially delicate following the death of Raila Odinga, who for decades served as the party’s unifying figure and political anchor.
Since his passing, ODM has reportedly struggled with internal divisions, leadership uncertainty, and competition among emerging power centers, factors that political observers say could make the party vulnerable to external influence.
Sources within ODM allege that UDA operatives are targeting local party officials, youth leaders, and community mobilizers with the aim of dismantling ODM’s long-standing grassroots machinery and rebranding UDA as the dominant political force in the region ahead of 2027.
This is not the first time ODM has accused UDA of attempting to encroach on its political turf. Last year, the ruling party was accused of trying to assert influence in Homa Bay County during the Kasipul constituency by-election, an incident that heightened tensions between the two parties.
As the 2027 polls draw closer, ODM leaders are now under pressure to consolidate the party, address internal rifts, and counter what they view as an aggressive political expansion by the ruling party.