Editor's Review

The firebrand ODM Secretary-General- Edwin Sifuna has had a fair share of life, starting from a humble background. 

The firebrand ODM Secretary-General- Edwin Sifuna has had a fair share of life, starting from a humble background.

To him, life has shown the bad, the ugly, the twist, and the good in all, having hailed from Bundalangi.

However, his uncle Lawrence Sifuna had been a long-serving MP during Moi's era.

Speaking to a local media, he revealed that he started selling socks and mitumba in Bungoma to fend for himself after graduating in 2006 from the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor's degree in law.

At that time, the Kenya Law Society was carrying out a raft of measures to streamline the sector by having a mandate that lawyers needed to be admitted to the bar by getting a diploma from the Kenya School of Law.

"There was no such policy in the years past. But when we just graduated, the policy came in. Our parents were so frustrated because, in their minds, they were done with paying our fees. It was really problematic," he stated.

This was when his journey of hustling started from trying his luck in businesses, from hacking mitumba to manning the kiosk of his mother, failing in 'migendo' of millet from Uganda to raise fees.

"I hear people talking about hustling as though some of us have not been there...I operated a video games shop to raise my fees and upkeep myself," Sifuna stated.

{Lawyer Edwin Sifuna and Uasin Gishu Woman Rep Gladys Shollei in 2018. }

However, lady luck showed his way when he got a job with a big law firm in Kenya. His involvement in the Law Society of Kenya council from 2016 and that got him noticed for speaking his mind out.

He is remembered for being part of the 'Okoa LSK movement' rebellion group.

In 2013, he sort for a meeting with Raila Odinga, which became his break in politics.

"Silas is a very good friend of mine. It is him organized for me to meet Baba [Raila] at Capitol Hill after we had lost the 2013 battle."

However, he penned a critical article in one of the dailies about the management of the ODM party.

To his surprise, Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong'o, then Secretary-General, invited him for lunch and expressed satisfaction with his energy and thoughts.

From there, he began a close association with the former Premier until one day, he received a call when representing Joho's case from the top management that he had been selected to take over from Foreign Affairs CAS Ababu Namwamba.

"I got a call that the party's top organ had settled on me as the new SG. I said, 'Whatever I'm asked to do for the party, I'm ready," he stated, at the time Kenya would witness a transition into the handshake between Raila and President Uhuru Kenyatta.