NAIROBI, Kenya- Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has claimed that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has already been sold ahead of the 2027 elections.
This is as debate intensifies over ODM’s future direction following secret talks between President William Ruto and a section of senior ODM leaders.
Speaking at her home in Nyahera, Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga warned that a section of ODM leaders were already set to auction the party.
“Do not sell the ODM Party,” she said. “Some people have already sold it and have been given timelines for the completion of the transaction.”
ODM leaders allied to President Ruto, like Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, have accused former President Uhuru Kenyatta of attempting ‘to buy’ the party.
The faction opposed to the broad-based government has accused the Junet group of ‘selling’ the Party to President Ruto.
Amidst the accusations, Ruth, who is a sister to the ODM leader, stressed that ODM’s stature must remain intact.
She argued that those pushing for hurried political deals fail to appreciate the sacrifices that shaped the party and Kenya’s multiparty democracy.
-Ruth Odinga Defends Raila’s Legacy
She strongly dismissed claims that the late Raila Odinga held private conversations with select individuals on national issues, saying such assertions were false and should be openly challenged.
“Anyone telling Kenyans that Raila had a series of private conversations with him on a wide range of issues is lying and must be called out,” she said.
She described Raila as a leader who spoke openly and engaged people from all walks of life, noting that he was not secretive in expressing his political positions.
The Kisumu Woman Representative also addressed claims of political closeness to Raila, saying no individual should present themselves as more connected to him than others.
She cited Nairobi Senator and ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna as equally Raila’s son politically, noting that he regularly spoke with him.
Sifuna has been under attack over his opposition to the broad-based government.
Oketch Salah, a key figure around Odinga at the point of his death, alleged that Sifuna was not in good standing with the former Prime Minister.
Salah is among the leaders rooting for President Ruto’s re-election with the support of ODM.
-Focus on NADCO Agenda-
Calling for unity, Ruth urged ODM leaders to move away from political sideshows and focus on the 10-point agenda of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report.
She said Raila Odinga’s final concerns included justice for victims of election violence.
“Baba died asking about compensation for election violence victims. It is no secret,” she said, adding that she would, at the appropriate time, share what Raila told her on national issues.
Warning Against Weakening ODM
She stressed that ODM’s stature must be protected, arguing that those pushing such moves do not understand the struggles, detentions, and deaths that gave birth to multiparty democracy and the ODM party.
She said she was not opposed to negotiations ahead of the 2027 elections, but cautioned that talks without a strong party position risk undermining ODM.
“If we are to join the government, what would be the conditions? We risk negotiating ourselves to oblivion if we don’t work on party strength,” she said.
Her sentiments have been echoed by Siaya Governor James Orengo, as ODM continues to grapple with internal disagreements over whether to support President Ruto’s re-election bid.
Orengo stressed that Raila’s vision was for ODM to remain a national party serving all Kenyans, not a Luo Nyanza-centric movement.
“What Raila did, out of the realisation that a regional party could not answer the demands of Kenyans, was to strive to build a national party, which is ODM,” he said.
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