MOMBASA, Kenya, Nov 15 — EALA MP Winnie Odinga has called on the ODM Party to return to its members and make a clear decision on the party’s future relationship in President William Ruto’s broad-based government.
The EALA member, who termed the party’s relationship with the ruling UDA Party as “complicated”, said the Orange Party only entrusted Raila with managing the relationship and in his absence, the party must seek a mandate from the people.
Speaking on Saturday during ODM’s 20th anniversary celebrations in Mombasa, Winnie warned that those seeking to take charge saying they must first seek legitimacy from ODM members.
“When it came to the matter of this broad-based government, the people of ODM entrusted one person with the management of that relationship, and that person was Baba Raila Amollo Odinga,” Winnie said.
“That relationship is complicated, and therefore we are looking and wondering — those taking it upon themselves to manage it now, are they capable of managing that relationship? That is not a question for me to answer. It is a question for the people of ODM to answer.”
She urged the party to convene a National Delegates Convention (NDC) to allow supporters to determine who should steer ODM’s political direction.
“We need to go back to the people and have an NDC to see who they want to pick to manage that same relationship,” she added.
Anti-Ruto push
Her remarks came as senior party figures pushed back against attempts by ODM-allied Cabinet Secretaries serving in President Ruto’s administration to anchor ODM into a long-term alliance with UDA ahead of 2027.
On Friday, Siaya Governor James Orengo dismissed the push as “idiotic,” insisting ODM would not negotiate its political future with Ruto.
Addressing youth at the same anniversary event, Orengo accused some leaders of attempting to “drag ODM into government through the backdoor,” warning that such moves threaten the party’s identity and legacy.
“Ruto needs ODM — not the other way round,” Orengo said, emphasizing that the party must not abandon its reformist roots.
He reminded members that ODM was built through sacrifice, activism, and the struggle for justice — not political bargaining for positions.
ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna also urged leaders to return to grassroots structures and let supporters decide whether ODM should pursue alliances ahead of 2027.
“My plea to leaders is that we use the language that brings us together because we are all ODM members,” Sifuna said.
“There are one or two differences of opinion, but we should all go back to our supporters and put the question to ODM members. Whatever you decide as members, we as ODM leaders will adhere to it.”
New path
Sifuna pledged full support to acting party leader Oburu Oginga, promising continuity of Raila Odinga’s political legacy.
“The way I was a loyal Secretary-General to your deceased brother — the late Raila Odinga — I will work together with you to take this party to the next level,” he said.
This internal resistance emerged at the funeral of Raola Odinga as Hassan Joho, John Mbadi, Wycliffe Oparanya, Opiyo Wandayi, and Beatrice Askul, pledged to remain part of the broad-based government “where Baba (Raila) left us”.
They maintain that Raila personally instructed them to work with Ruto’s administration to advance his vision for national unity.
“I was taken to the government of William Ruto by Raila Odinga — that is where I shall stay,” Joho said during Raila’s burial in Bondo.
ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga also stated that the late leader’s final wish was for ODM to remain in the broad-based government.
President Ruto, speaking at Raila’s funeral, vowed to safeguard ODM from leaders seeking to “uproot the party from within,” insisting he would honour Raila’s vision for cooperation between the two sides.
“ODM must be strong as we go to 2027 because that is how we will have a strong government,” Ruto said, stressing that ODM remains integral to his administration.
Raila Odinga’s death has left ODM facing one of the most consequential decisions in its 20-year history: maintain its independence as the country’s largest opposition movement, or formally join Ruto’s reelection bid in 2027 under the broad-based alliance.