Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga has pushed back hard against critics questioning his place in the Orange Democratic Movement, insisting he remains firmly in control as the party struggles to redefine itself after the death of its longtime leader, Raila Odinga.
Speaking to supporters in Siaya County, Oburu brushed aside talk that his influence is fading or that he should step aside to make room for a new generation. He said such claims were not only disrespectful but deeply misguided.
“I am not going to be shaken. I am going to sit on that ODM seat squarely, so if anybody thinks that Oburu is going to die soon, he is seriously mistaken,” he said, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.
Oburu, Raila’s elder brother, has been part of Kenya’s political landscape for decades and was instrumental in building ODM into a national opposition force. While Raila became the face of the party and its presidential flag bearer in several elections, Oburu worked behind the scenes as a strategist and organiser, helping to keep the party machinery running during moments of crisis.
Raila’s death has left a vacuum that ODM is still struggling to fill. For years, the party’s identity, messaging and electoral strategy revolved around him. Without that unifying figure, internal tensions have surfaced, with rival camps debating who should lead, what the party stands for, and whether it should remain in opposition or strike political deals ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Some younger leaders have openly argued that ODM needs renewal to stay relevant, questioning whether the party can survive without breaking from the Odinga family’s dominance. Oburu’s remarks appeared aimed directly at that argument, signalling that the old guard is not ready to hand over control.
He warned that public wrangles could weaken ODM at a time when President William Ruto’s allies are actively courting opposition figures and exploiting divisions. Any decisions about coalitions or endorsements, he said, must come after the party stabilises its internal structures.
Political observers say Oburu’s blunt language reflects both confidence and anxiety — confidence in his grip on the party, and anxiety about the fragile state of the opposition after Raila’s passing. The struggle within ODM, they argue, mirrors a broader challenge facing Kenyan politics: how to move beyond personality-driven movements without tearing parties apart.
