Edwin Sifuna’s Appeal Is Not About ODM — It Is a Calculated Battle for Political Power
By Arnold Maliba
A section of the “Mukuru Kwa Zuckerberg” political smart money brigade has been busy churning out acres of online trolling, convinced that Senator Edwin Sifuna’s sustained appeal against his controversial removal is merely a desperate attempt to crawl back into ODM’s good books or cling onto the Secretary-General’s office.
That, however, is a rather shallow reading of Kenyan politics.
Edwin Sifuna understands politics. More importantly, he understands ODM better than most.
He knows very well that in politics, some bridges once burnt can never be rebuilt. Certain relationships within ODM have deteriorated beyond repair and there are realities within the party that cannot simply be reset like factory settings. So the question then becomes: why pursue the appeal?
The answer is simple — politics is not always about winning a case. Sometimes, it is about controlling the narrative.
Sifuna’s appeal is not merely a legal process. It is political theatre: deliberate, calculated and highly
By moving to challenge the decision, he keeps the controversy alive. He forces ODM to continuously defend its actions within the framework of the law. He buys himself political time. He ensures his name remains firmly in the headlines. What could have been a one-day story now becomes a prolonged political conversation dominating the public space.
Every extra day the matter remains unresolved is another day Sifuna occupies the national political stage while his opponents remain trapped in a defensive position.
This is not simply a courtroom contest.
It is a battle for legitimacy. A battle for sympathy. A battle for leverage.
In this game, the law becomes the stage. The tribunal becomes the theatre. Public opinion becomes the audience.
Whether Sifuna ultimately wins or loses may not even be the primary objective. By the time the curtain finally falls, he may already have extracted every ounce of political capital the process was designed to generate.
That is how politics is played.
While the loudest voices on social media are busy analysing emotions and trading insults, the politicians involved are quietly calculating power.
And in politics, power — not sentiment — is always the real currency.
