The simmering power struggle within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) took a dramatic turn on Sunday after Winnie Odinga and her brother Raila Odinga Jr publicly weighed in on the unfolding dispute, warning against what they described as attempts to silence and purge dissenting voices within the party.
Speaking during separate public engagements in Nairobi’s Kibra constituency, the two accused a section of ODM leaders of targeting younger party figures, specifically Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, moves they said threaten the party’s democratic foundations.
In her first major political appearance in Kibra since the death of her father, ODM leader Raila Odinga, Winnie addressed a charged rally at Kamukunji grounds, declaring her unwavering loyalty to the party.
“We will not leave this party that we fought for,” Winnie said, dismissing claims that some leaders were being pushed out. “We paid the price for this movement when it mattered.”
Accompanied by her elder brother, Winnie accused unnamed individuals of exploiting the period following her father’s death to advance narrow political and personal interests. She warned that ODM could not be reduced to a vehicle for commercial or individual gain.
“You cannot copy and paste Baba,” she said, referring to her late father. “ODM cannot be sold or hijacked. We asked for time after Baba’s passing, but some refused to wait.”
Raila Odinga Jr echoed her sentiments, stressing that freedom of expression must be protected within the party and rejecting any attempts to expel members for holding differing opinions.
“Kila mtu ana uhuru wa kuzungumza,” he said, adding that ODM must remain tolerant of internal debate if it is to survive as a democratic movement.
Winnie openly aligned herself with the faction associated with Sifuna and Babu Owino, saying the two leaders had her full backing. She also conveyed greetings from their mother, Ida Odinga, to ODM supporters in Kibra.
The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP further announced plans to escalate the matter to the party’s National Delegates Conference (NDC), where she intends to challenge what she termed growing sycophancy and misrepresentation of her father’s political legacy.
“Baba spoke openly to Kenyans. Claims that he left us in government are misleading,” she said. “ODM does not need praise singers.”
Earlier in the day, Winnie and Raila Jr attended a thanksgiving service at ACK Holy Trinity Church before proceeding to Kibra. She later revealed plans to embark on nationwide consultative forums to gather views from ODM supporters, signalling a more active role in shaping the party’s future amid intensifying internal contestations.
