ODM's Junet Mohamed has told Nairobi Governor Sakaja to defect from UDA and join ODM if he wants the party's backing for re-election in 2027.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has issued a blunt ultimatum to Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja: defect from the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and join ODM, or forget about the party's backing in his 2027 re-election bid.
Speaking during an empowerment event in Kileleshwa, Nairobi, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, who also serves as ODM's director of elections, said the party would only support Sakaja's re-election if he formally joins ODM. According to Junet, UDA cannot guarantee Sakaja's political survival — only ODM, he argued, can make him governor again in 2027.
"I want to tell Sakaja that he still desires to be re-elected as Nairobi governor in 2027, then he should come to ODM. If he decides to remain where he is, he will wait until Jesus comes back and nobody will elect him," Junet said.
Junet insisted that ODM still commands significant support in Nairobi and intends to sweep all elective positions in the city, including the governorship, regardless of the ongoing coalition talks between ODM and UDA at the national level. "We will ensure ODM here in Nairobi secures all seats. We will not support Sakaja if he does not come to ODM. As the party we have our candidate for the governor position," he said.
Notably, Junet revealed that ODM's preferred candidate for governor is not Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who has also publicly expressed interest in the seat but is aligned with a dissenting faction within the broader Linda Mwananchi movement — a sign that the race for City Hall could expose divisions not just between ODM and UDA, but within opposition-aligned circles as well.
This is not the first time ODM figures have called on Sakaja to cross over. In February 2025, ODM leaders including Makadara MP George Aladwa and party chairperson Gladys Wanga made similar appeals, with Aladwa openly pleading with the governor to "leave UDA and join ODM." Sakaja's response at the time was characteristically noncommittal, remarking cryptically that "where there are clouds, there is rain" and promising a meeting with ODM's Nairobi leadership.
Sakaja has previously acknowledged the pressure directly, at one point telling reporters he could even consider defending his seat on an ODM ticket, though he has stopped short of making any firm commitment either way.
