Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) youth leader Kasmuel McOure has accused the media team of deliberately misreporting party leader Oburu Oginga's remarks on his presidential ambitions.
In a scathing statement released earlier on Friday, January 2, 2026, Kasmuel claimed the media team framed the story to ridicule Oburu.
He termed the reporting "wrong" and "deliberately framed" to expose the party leader to public mockery.
"This is wrong reporting, deliberately framed to expose our party leader to public ridicule. The matter is constitutional, not personal," Kasmuel stated.
The controversy stems from Oburu's declaration on Thursday, 1 January 2026, that he would automatically become ODM's presidential candidate if the party decides to field one in the 2027 elections.
Speaking ahead of New Year celebrations, Oburu clarified that ODM had not fully endorsed a working partnership with President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
He revealed the party would announce its official position before the end of 2026.
Oburu stated that, under the ODM constitution, the party leader is automatically designated as its presidential flag bearer.
"Of course, if we are going it alone, I want to make it absolutely clear that our constitution already has a presidential candidate. That presidential candidate is none other than the party leader," Oburu stated.
Kasmuel further trained his guns on ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, accusing him of failing in his institutional duties.
He claimed Sifuna was more interested in appeasing party detractors than defending the party's constitutional provisions.
Kasmuel alleged that Sifuna's camp was preparing to unveil a new political vehicle in March, 2026, suggesting internal divisions within the party.
He insisted that the secretary general's role demands discipline and loyalty to the party constitution, not personal opinions.
Kasmuel warned that if Sifuna wished to pursue a different political path, he should resign from his position.
