Ruth Odinga has defended the political legacy of the Odinga family, insisting it is anchored on sacrifice and struggle rather than entitlement, after remarks attributed to Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi triggered fresh tension inside the Orange Democratic Movement.
Ruth said she was compelled to respond following an ODM retreat held in Mombasa on May 4, where party leaders, allied Cabinet Secretaries and senior officials met amid growing internal divisions over the party’s direction and its relationship with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
At the centre of the dispute are emerging factions within ODM, broadly framed around competing political alignments, including the so-called “Linda Ground” and “Linda Mwananchi” camps, which reflect differing views on how closely the party should work with government after the handshake-era politics associated with Raila Odinga.
Ruth said she attended the retreat in the spirit of unity but was unsettled when Mbadi, the former ODM national chairman and current Treasury CS, allegedly used his speech to challenge what he termed as political entitlement within the party.
According to Ruth, Mbadi told the meeting that ODM “does not belong to the Odingas” and warned against any sense of ownership tied to the family name. She further claimed he argued that Raila Odinga’s political influence had faded and that even in his absence, others within the party had “heavily invested” in ODM and deserved recognition.
“He said ODM is not a family property and nobody should feel entitled because they carry the Odinga name,” Ruth said. “He went further to suggest that even if Raila Odinga were alive, he would not change much.”
Mbadi’s remarks, which have not been independently verified, have since stirred debate within party ranks, exposing underlying tensions over succession, ideology and loyalty within ODM’s evolving structure.
Ruth, however, dismissed the claims as a misreading of the party’s history, arguing that ODM itself was built on the political capital and mass support that Raila Odinga commanded nationally, not the other way around.
“It is not ODM that made Raila Odinga. It is the people of Kenya who made him,” she said, adding that the party’s ideological foundation remains intact despite shifting alliances.
The row has also reignited scrutiny of ODM’s internal alignment with government, with several senior party figures serving in President William Ruto’s Cabinet under arrangements that have blurred traditional opposition lines.
Ruth said the current debate risks undermining the party’s identity, especially if historical sacrifices are dismissed for political expediency.
“In 1982, after the attempted coup, anyone associated with the Odinga name was targeted. I went into exile in Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and later Norway,” she said. “That is not entitlement. That is sacrifice.”
She also recounted alleged difficulties she faced while travelling back to Kenya during her years abroad, saying she often required assistance to pass immigration scrutiny due to her surname.
The escalating war of words comes as ODM grapples with internal realignments following Raila Odinga’s shifting political engagements and the entry of several senior party figures into government.
Analysts say the emerging factions reflect a deeper struggle over ODM’s identity: whether it remains an ideological opposition movement or a pragmatic political platform working within government structures.
Ruth also defended her elder brother, Senator Oburu Oginga, praising him as a stabilising figure within the family and party, while warning that internal actors were exploiting his conciliatory nature.
“I respect Dr Oburu Oginga deeply. But some people are taking advantage of his trusting nature,” she said.
She maintained that she remains committed to ODM unity but warned against what she termed as the “demonisation” of the Odinga name for political convenience.
“I will not allow the Odinga name to be turned into a punching bag,” she said. “If ODM has run out of ideas, history will not be rewritten to suit current ambitions.”
The remarks add a new layer of complexity to ODM’s internal dynamics, where loyalty, legacy and succession politics are increasingly intersecting with positions in government and the future of the opposition movement.
