Dennis Onyango, a longtime aide to veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, has opened up about an explosive interview by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna that reportedly strained his relationship with the former Prime Minister.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, Onyango described Sifuna as one of Raila’s favourite young politicians, saying the ODM leader deeply admired his communication skills, loyalty to the party, and ability to articulate political issues.
“Sifuna was Raila’s political son. Raila liked him and his ability to articulate issues,” Onyango said.
According to Onyango, Raila saw great political potential in Sifuna and considered him part of the new generation expected to strengthen the ODM party’s future.
However, Onyango revealed that the relationship between the two leaders reportedly changed after Sifuna gave a controversial interview that did not sit well with Raila.
He claimed the interview created the impression that the ODM leader appeared confused or uncertain about his political direction at the time.
“But Raila lost him during an explosive interview where he made Raila look like he did not know what he was doing,” Onyango stated.
The longtime aide further admitted that he was unsure whether Raila and Sifuna ever fully repaired their relationship after the incident.
“I don’t know whether they ever made it up,” he added.
Although Onyango did not specify the exact interview in question, his remarks are likely to fuel speculation over previous moments when Sifuna publicly expressed views that seemed to differ from Raila’s political position.
Following Raila Odinga’s death, Sifuna was later ousted as ODM Secretary General amid accusations of indiscipline and defying collective party decisions.
