The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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EALA MP Winnie Odinga has urged the ODM Party to return to its members and clarify its position on the party’s role within President William Ruto’s broad-based government.
Winnie described ODM’s current relationship with the ruling UDA Party as “complicated,” noting that the party had previously entrusted Raila Odinga with handling that engagement. With his absence, she said, ODM must now seek a fresh mandate from its grassroots.
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Speaking on Saturday during ODM’s 20th anniversary celebrations in Mombasa, Winnie cautioned leaders attempting to take charge of the relationship, arguing that they must first secure legitimacy from party supporters.
“When it came to this broad-based government, ODM members entrusted only one person — Baba Raila Odinga — to manage that relationship,” she said.
“It is a complicated relationship. Those trying to take over must be vetted by ODM members.”
She called for a National Delegates Convention (NDC) to let party supporters determine who should guide ODM’s political direction going forward.
Pushback Against Ruto Alliance
Her comments come amid growing resistance within ODM to efforts by Cabinet Secretaries aligned with the party but serving in Ruto’s government, who are pushing for a long-term partnership with UDA ahead of 2027.
On Friday, Siaya Governor James Orengo dismissed such efforts as “idiotic,” insisting ODM should not negotiate its future with President Ruto. Addressing youth at the Mombasa event, Orengo accused some leaders of trying to sneak ODM into government, endangering the party’s reformist identity.
“Ruto needs ODM — not the other way around,” he said.
ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna also urged leaders to return the debate to the grassroots, saying only members can decide whether ODM should pursue alliances for 2027.
“There may be differences of opinion, but we must put the question to our supporters. Whatever they decide, we will follow,” Sifuna said.
Shifts in ODM Leadership
Sifuna pledged support to acting party leader Oburu Oginga, assuring continuity of Raila Odinga’s political legacy.
Internal tensions intensified during the burial of Raola Odinga, where leaders including Hassan Joho, John Mbadi, Wycliffe Oparanya, Opiyo Wandayi, and Beatrice Askul affirmed they would remain part of the broad-based government, claiming Raila personally directed them to cooperate with Ruto.
“Raila took me to Ruto’s government — that is where I will stay,” Joho said in Bondo.
ODM Chair Gladys Wanga echoed that the late Raila wished for the party to stay within the broad-based arrangement.
President Ruto, speaking at Raila’s funeral, vowed to protect ODM from those seeking to dismantle it internally, saying he intended to uphold Raila’s vision of political cooperation.
“ODM must remain strong as we head to 2027,” Ruto said, calling the party a key pillar in his administration.
With Raila Odinga’s passing, ODM now faces a defining crossroads: whether to reaffirm its independence as Kenya’s main opposition force or formally align itself with Ruto’s broad-based coalition heading into the 2027 elections.
