Embattled Orange Democratic Movement secretary general Ababu Namwamba will be digging his own ‘political grave’ should he leave the party, observes Kevin Orina, a political science lecturer at Moi University.
Mr Namwamba and a host of other leaders from western Kenya have openly expressed their dissatisfaction in the manner in which the party's affairs are handled, citing frustrations from unnamed individuals.
On Wednesday, Mr Orina predicted Namwamba’s downfall saying a move from the Orange party will render him a political refugee despite the bright future in him.
“I don’t really think that exiting ODM will make Ababu stronger in the political scene. I admire his zeal and vigor but I don’t think he will solve problems in the party by decamping,” he said.
“Despite his bright future, I see him digging his own political grave that would take him the rest of his life to recover from. However much there are issues within the party, he should exhaust internal mechanisms or risk becoming a political refugee,” added Mr Orina.
He expressed his optimism that Mr Namwamba would someday inherit the political prowess of his mentor Raila Odinga.
“If you carefully look at the Orange party, Ababu still remains the smartest to inherit Odinga’s political prowess. My honest opinion is that he should consider remaining in the party and fight from within,” he said.