This book is a sweeping political chronicle of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), tracing its evolution from a defiant symbol in the 2005 constitutional referendum to a dominant, if troubled, force in Kenyan politics. Drawing on speeches, court records, leaked cables, and eyewitness accounts from rallies and boardrooms alike, Steve Biko Omondi pieces together the story of a movement born of betrayal and public outrage, and sustained by resilience, symbolism, and relentless reinvention.
The narrative begins in the hopeful aftermath of the 2002 election, when the National Rainbow Coalition’s promise of reform was quickly undermined by broken agreements and elite power games. The failed Bomas Draft and the “Banana-Orange” referendum become the crucible in which ODM is forged, transforming a simple fruit into a national emblem of resistance. From here, the book follows ODM through its defining moments: the unity and fracture of the Pentagon alliance, the violent aftermath of the 2007 election, the uneasy half-loaf politics of the Grand Coalition, the 2010 Constitution’s mixed legacy, the bitter contests of 2013 and 2017, and the unexpected rapprochement of the 2018 Handshake.
Along the way, Omondi exposes the party’s internal contradictions, idealism versus ambition, unity versus factionalism, and examines its enduring hold on Kenya’s political imagination even amid electoral defeats. The final chapters explore ODM’s place in the Gen-Z–driven protest era, its struggle for relevance in a changing political landscape, and its potential role in the country’s next chapter of reform.
Both a political history and a meditation on power, ODM: The Orange That Refused to Rot captures the triumphs, betrayals, and reinventions of Kenya’s most iconic opposition movement, revealing how a colour, a fruit, and a rallying cry became a lasting force in the nation’s democratic journey.
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