NAIROBI, Kenya — Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has clashed with UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar over zoning arrangements ahead of the 2027 General Election, urging ODM leaders to defend party strongholds and prepare for nationwide contests.
In a statement issued Sunday, April 5, Odinga described Omar’s remarks dismissing zoning agreements as a wake-up call for the Orange Democratic Movement, warning against complacency in regions traditionally considered ODM strongholds.
“As a founding member of the ODM Party… there could never be a better wake-up call for everyone who has ODM interests at heart,” Odinga said.
“We must come out as a party and defend our strongholds. We cannot sit pretty. Nobody will take you seriously when all you do is praise and worship.”
The Kisumu Woman Representative argued that ODM should not enter into any negotiations with the United Democratic Alliance from what she termed a position of weakness. She instead called for the party to match UDA’s ambition by fielding candidates across the country.
“We won’t go to the negotiating table while playing second fiddle. To my fellow ODM leaders, especially in Kisumu, where I have immense political interests, whatever you want, you must get it under one strong ODM Party,” she stated.
Odinga also urged intensified voter mobilisation, saying numerical strength would determine ODM’s bargaining power in any future political arrangements. She referenced the 2007 post-election negotiations, saying numbers played a decisive role.
“We must have the numbers first before we can speak about negotiations. I was there in the 2007 post-election chaos and the negotiations that came with it… Without the numbers, nobody was going to take the ODM Party seriously,” she added.
Her remarks followed comments by Omar a day earlier in which he dismissed ODM’s zoning demands and insisted that UDA would field candidates across the country, including in regions considered ODM strongholds.
Omar argued that if ODM is confident in its support base, it should allow open competition. “ODM says the Coast is their stronghold; we are telling them the Coast belongs to the people of the Coast, let us compete fairly,” he said.
“If you have that kind of courage and confidence, then what problem is the issue with us contesting for those seats?”
