President William Ruto during a meeting with artisans in Nairobi /HANDOUT
A past speech by President William Ruto in which he suggested that disciplinary action or expulsion from ODM could mark the beginning of a politician’s rise has resurfaced online amid fresh turmoil within the party.
In the undated clip, Ruto appears to draw from his own experience with ODM, telling politicians facing disciplinary action not to view it as the end of their political careers.
“Na ukiona umepatiwa barua kwa ODM, unajua mambo yako sasa ndio imeanza kuiva,” Ruto says.
“Kabla hujapata barua ya ODM, mambo yako bado."
He adds that a seasoned politician capitalises on their strained relations with the party and catapults themselves to political fortunes.
Ruto recounted how ODM’s attempts to discipline and expel him failed to end his political career, with the fallout eventually preceding his rise to the deputy presidency.
"If you know how to go forward, vile ya kufaulu kwa siasa, ni upate barua ya ODM, hiyo ya disciplinary hiyo. Hata mimi nilipelekwa kortini na ODM wakajaribu kunifukuza, tukasumbuana kortini miaka tano ikaisha tukaendelea mimi nikakua Deputy President.”
“That’s the journey of a leader,” Ruto adds, offering to guide anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation.
The remarks have resurfaced with striking relevance as ODM grapples with internal divisions, with many social media users drawing parallels between Ruto’s experience and the political troubles of Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.
Ruto was a founding member of ODM but fell out with party leader Raila Odinga around 2010 as tensions over the party’s leadership and the 2013 presidential race intensified.
Ruto’s political ambitions were complicated by Raila's decision to seek the presidency in 2013, leaving little room for the then Eldoret North MP’s own presidential ambitions within ODM.
The fallout was further aggravated by Raila's attempt to suspend Ruto as Agriculture Minister, as well as tensions over the level of support Ruto received from sections of ODM leadership while he faced impending charges at the International Criminal Court over the 2007-2008 post-election violence.
Ruto and his allies eventually broke away from ODM before he went on to join the Jubilee coalition with Uhuru Kenyatta.
The two won the 2013 presidential election, with Ruto becoming Deputy President on April 9, 2013.
Ruto’s old advice has been linked to Sifuna’s increasingly strained relationship with ODM following Raila's death in October 2025.
The remarks do not suggest Ruto literally predicted Sifuna’s current situation because they offer a retrospective comparison, but their renewed circulation has given fresh political meaning to Sifuna's rising political appeal as he navigates his increasingly strained relationship with ODM.
Sifuna had opposed ODM’s broad-based cooperation with Ruto’s administration, arguing that the arrangement compromised the party’s role as an opposition force.
He subsequently emerged as a vocal critic of the government and positioned himself as a prominent voice for public discontent and youth-driven calls for political reform.
Sifuna launched and popularised the Linda Mwananchi initiative, using public rallies outside ODM’s traditional political zones to build a grassroots political platform.
His stance was viewed by the Linda Ground faction led by Oburu Oginga as defiance of the party line.
This culminated in his removal as ODM secretary general and the loss of his position as Deputy Minority Whip in the Senate.
The loss of the two positions has since been viewed as having rapidly fueled the shift in Sifuna’s political profile, from a party official to a politician of national following.
His growing prominence has fuelled speculation about the direction of his political career ahead of the 2027 general election, particularly as some local leaders and supporters increasingly rally behind his political message.
Sifuna has also openly urged disillusioned ODM supporters to consider alternative political formations, signalling a possible future outside the party’s established structure.
