Simba Arati Urges ODM Rebels To Return As Party Presses Unity Ahead Of 2027

ODM deputy party leader Simba Arati urged dissenting party members to "come back home" during the party's leaders' retreat in Mombasa, according to The Star, as the party placed unity and internal reconciliation at the center of its 2027 political planning.

The Details

Arati told ODM leaders at the Mombasa retreat that unity was necessary for the party's survival, The Star reported. "We must choose, and I submit to you today that unity is not optional; without it we will fall," Arati said, according to The Star.

The appeal was directed at members who were doubtful or uncertain about their place in the party, The Star reported. "Those who doubt, those who may feel uncertain in this moment, I have this message for you: come back home. And home is here," Arati said, according to the outlet.

The Coast Media Group also reported Arati's unity message at the retreat, quoting him as saying, "Unity is not optional. Without it, we shall fall." The outlet reported that the remarks were made while calling the Sifuna-Orengo-Babu Owino faction to return, placing the statement within ODM's wider internal reconciliation push.

ODM leaders at the retreat said party unity and internal reconciliation were central agenda items as the party looks toward 2027 political planning, according to The Coast Media Group. The same report said party chair Gladys Wanga, Hassan Joho, Abdulswamad Nassir and other ODM leaders used the retreat to emphasize unity and discourage defections or factionalism.

Capital FM separately reported on the same ODM retreat in Mombasa, including Arati's remarks on party conditions and the gathering of MPs, governors and NEC members as ODM maps its 2027 strategy. The report placed the gathering within a broader party debate over internal conditions and preparations for the next election cycle.

The Standard also reported that the Mombasa meeting centered on 2027 strategy and party demands tied to negotiations with UDA. Its reporting corroborated that the retreat was not limited to reconciliation messaging, but also included strategic demands connected to coalition talks.

The shared thread across the reports was ODM's effort to present internal unity as a necessary condition for its 2027 positioning. The Star reported Arati framed that argument directly to dissenting members, while The Coast Media Group, Capital FM and The Standard each reported that the retreat carried wider party-planning stakes.

Context

The retreat comes amid visible ODM internal divisions and jockeying over coalition talks, party funding and positioning ahead of the 2027 General Election, according to reporting cited by The Star, Capital FM and The Standard. Those reports described the Mombasa meeting as a forum where reconciliation language sat alongside practical political planning.

The Coast Media Group reported that multiple ODM leaders, including Gladys Wanga, Hassan Joho and Abdulswamad Nassir, reinforced the unity message during the retreat. That account described the leaders as discouraging defections or factionalism while urging members to remain within the party fold.

Capital FM reported that ODM was also pressing for release of alleged arrears from the Political Parties Fund. That reporting showed the retreat mixed internal reconciliation messaging with broader strategic demands rather than treating party unity as the only item on the agenda.

The Standard reported that ODM's demands tied to negotiations with UDA were part of the Mombasa discussions. Taken together, the briefed reports show the retreat as both a unity exercise and a strategy session for 2027 planning.

What's Next

ODM's next public moves will be measured against the reconciliation message delivered in Mombasa, based on the retreat agenda described by The Coast Media Group and the 2027 strategy focus reported by Capital FM and The Standard. The sourced record identifies unity, negotiations and party demands as live issues coming out of the meeting.

Arati's remarks give dissenting members a direct public invitation to return to the party fold, according to The Star. The briefed reporting does not identify a scheduled follow-up meeting or formal response from the dissenting members, so the next confirmed development is whether ODM leaders continue advancing the unity and negotiation agenda outlined at the retreat.