Questions are mounting over the political trajectory of Suba North Member of Parliament Millie Odhiambo Mabona following reports that she is slated to attend a Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay County. The appearance would mark a notable shift for the legislator, who publicly declared in May that she belonged to neither of the two dominant factions within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Odhiambo, a founding member of ODM and the party’s Minority Chief Whip in the National Assembly, has positioned herself as a defender of internal party democracy. In May, she drew a clear line between herself and the rival camps. “I said clearly that I am not in ODM Linda Ground or ODM Linda Mwananchi but in ODM,” she stated at the time.
The Linda Mwananchi faction is associated with leaders critical of ODM’s engagement with President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration under the broad-based government arrangement. The rival Linda Ground camp has backed cooperation with the ruling coalition. The rivalry has intensified political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Odhiambo’s reported attendance at a Linda Mwananchi event would not constitute a formal resignation from ODM or confirmation of factional allegiance. However, in Homa Bay — an ODM stronghold — any visible movement by a senior party figure is closely scrutinised as the party navigates succession questions and internal divisions.
The development follows a series of interventions by Odhiambo that have fuelled speculation about her stance. In April, she criticised ODM leaders for repeatedly attacking Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, the party’s secretary-general, arguing the attacks only increased his popularity. She also revealed she had attempted to intervene when efforts were made to remove Sifuna from his post. “ODM is my party which I will always defend,” she said, while calling for stronger internal democracy.
More recently, after the United Democratic Alliance candidate lost the July Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, Odhiambo delivered a sharp critique of leaders associated with the broad-based government. She attributed the defeat to arrogance and a failure to listen to voters. “If we had listened to the people, we would not even have lost Ol Kalou,” she said. “We have become very arrogant as leaders. We do not listen to the people, and we do not understand what they are going through. People are suffering.”
Odhiambo insisted her criticism did not amount to opposition to the broad-based arrangement. She noted she serves in government as an ODM member but maintained that her participation would not prevent her from speaking against what she considers wrong. “As a founding member of ODM, I cannot allow us to do the wrong things,” she said, emphasising the party must defend its values even while working with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
The Ol Kalou result has become a reference point in debates over the broad-based government’s electoral strength, with opposition figures citing it as evidence of growing voter dissatisfaction. Odhiambo suggested such setbacks should serve as a warning to leaders to reconnect with the electorate rather than rely on political alliances or incumbency.
Her reported appearance alongside Linda Mwananchi leaders in Homa Bay will likely be read as a fresh test of her political positioning as ODM contends with its internal dynamics and the 2027 electoral cycle.
