By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, January 13, 2026 - The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in Kisumu County has drawn a bold political line in the sand, throwing its full weight behind Dr. Oburu Oginga Odinga as the party’s principal negotiator and political anchor, even as divisions widen within the party over its relationship with President William Ruto’s broad-based government.
Speaking during a charged county delegates’ meeting at the ODM offices in Kisumu City, grassroots leaders, MCAs and party officials issued a ringing endorsement of Oburu, portraying him as the lawful and legitimate authority to manage ODM’s political direction at a time of internal strain.
“We have anointed Dr. Oburu Oginga Odinga to negotiate on behalf of ODM with other parties,” Kisumu County Majority Leader Ken Ooko declared. “He should not be intimidated by anyone. We are firmly behind him, and we want him to be given time to run the affairs of the party as required by law.” Ooko said.
The meeting, attended by more than 300 ODM delegates from across the county, was not just about internal party loyalty.It was also a direct response to what Kisumu leaders described as growing confusion and mixed messaging from the party’s national leadership, particularly over ODM’s role in the broad-based government.
Kisumu County Assembly Chief Whip Seth Kanga left little room for ambiguity. “We are going to support Dr. Oburu politically and in all developments. No one will deter our bid,” he said. “As a party in Kisumu, our loyalty is to the automatic party leader and the structures that have been put in place.”
That loyalty, the leaders insisted, must translate into allowing Oburu to steer ODM’s negotiations without being undermined by parallel voices within the party. The remarks were widely interpreted as a veiled rebuke to senior ODM figures, including Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, who has publicly questioned and opposed the broad-based government arrangement with President Ruto.
Paul Akeyo, the ODM County Chair, openly tied the party’s support for the government to the implementation of the ten-point agenda that underpins the broad-based pact. “If the ten-point agenda is implemented, we will firmly rally behind President Ruto,” Akeyo said, signalling a pragmatic, policy-driven approach rather than ideological opposition.
That statement placed Kisumu ODM squarely on the side of engagement and cooperation, a stance that increasingly clashes with hardliners within the party who fear that working with Kenya Kwanza dilutes ODM’s identity as an opposition force. Steve Owiti one of the vocal grassroots leaders, and Ooko sharpened the contradiction.
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“What will inform the rationale of the Secretary-General opposing the broad-based government if the ten-point agenda is ratified?” Ooko asked. “If the issues that brought ODM into the agreement are being addressed, then why should anyone fight it?” he posed.
Those words capture the growing fault lines inside ODM. On one side are grassroots leaders and regional power brokers who see engagement with government as a way to secure development, resources and political relevance for their constituents. On the other are party officials who worry that ODM is surrendering its bargaining power and moral authority by aligning too closely with Ruto’s administration.
In elevating Oburu as their political standard-bearer, Kisumu ODM leaders are effectively betting that his experience, lineage and proximity to the party’s traditional leadership will give ODM leverage in the new political arrangement. To them, Oburu represents continuity, stability and a direct link to the Odinga political legacy that still commands deep loyalty in Nyanza.
The timing of the endorsement is also telling. As the broad-based government settles into place, ODM is under pressure to clarify whether it is a co-governing partner or a reluctant ally. Kisumu’s declaration suggests that at least in the party’s heartland, the appetite is for constructive engagement rather than permanent opposition.
“We want development, not endless political wars,” one delegate remarked privately, reflecting a sentiment that many leaders at the meeting openly shared. Yet the public divergence between Kisumu ODM and parts of the national leadership exposes a party at a crossroads.
"If the ten-point agenda delivers tangible benefits, the Kisumu position will be vindicated. If it falters, critics like Sifuna may gain the upper hand in arguing that ODM was out manoeuvred," said Ooko
For now, the message from Kisumu is unmistakable: Dr. Oburu Oginga Odinga has been handed the political steering wheel, and the county’s ODM machinery is ready to follow his lead — even if that path takes the party deeper into an uneasy but potentially transformative partnership with President Ruto’s government.
