Sifuna’s Silence and the Collapse of the Broad-Based Illusion

By Al Musasia

In Kenyan politics, absence is often mistaken for weakness. But when the absence is deliberate, disciplined, and sustained, it can be more powerful than any speech. This is the political moment engineered by Edwin Sifuna, and it is steadily dismantling the so-called broad-based narrative from within.

Sifuna’s silence is not accidental. Nor is his failure to appear at recent Orange Democratic Movement meetings in Kilifi and Kakamega. In a political culture addicted to optics, rallies, and rushed statements, choosing not to show up is a statement in itself, one that has left the broad-based camp exposed, uneasy, and internally conflicted.

For months, the broad-based battalion has demanded that Sifuna “quit ODM,” portraying him as an obstacle to unity. Yet his continued silence, and his calm refusal to legitimize contested forums, has flipped that argument on its head. If Sifuna were politically irrelevant, his absence would not matter. Instead, every empty chair bearing his name has amplified his influence. His silence has forced his critics to talk more, explain more, and contradict themselves more.

The Kilifi and Kakamega meetings were meant to project cohesion and momentum. Instead, they revealed the illusion at the heart of the broad-based project: a coalition desperate for ODM’s moral authority but uncomfortable with ODM’s core principles. Without Sifuna’s presence, the meetings felt performative, heavy on declarations, light on legitimacy. The message was unmistakable: unity cannot be manufactured by sidelining voices that command grassroots respect.

More damaging still is the ideological confusion. Many of the loudest voices attacking Sifuna openly echo positions aligned with William Ruto while claiming to operate within ODM. That contradiction is no longer masked by rhetoric. Sifuna’s silence has stripped it bare. By refusing to engage in theatrics, he has forced a simple question into the open: if your politics mirror those of the government, why remain in ODM at all? *Why not Join UDA?*

This is where the broad-based illusion collapses. It was built on noise, proximity to power, and the hope that repetition could replace conviction. Sifuna’s strategy exposes the flaw in that design. Silence denies his opponents the confrontation they crave. Absence denies them the legitimacy they seek. And patience allows contradictions to surface without interference.

In the end, Sifuna’s quiet is not indecision, it is discipline. It is the confidence of a leader who understands that timing matters more than tempo, and principle matters more than applause. As the broad-based camp struggles to explain itself, Sifuna’s silence continues to speak, calmly, steadily, and with devastating clarity.

*SIFUNA FOR PRESIDENT 2027. JOIN THE MOVEMENT.*