By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 26 May 2026 - A quiet but highly calculated political operation is unfolding inside the Orange Democratic Movement as the party leadership moves to contain rising internal rivalries and reorganise its traditional Nyanza stronghold ahead of the increasingly volatile 2027 General Election campaigns.
Behind closed doors at the Grand Royal Swiss Hotel in Kisumu, ODM’s emerging power centre assembled governors, MPs, grassroots mobilisers and a growing list of ambitious aspirants eyeing the party ticket for parliamentary, gubernatorial and senatorial seats across Nyanza.
The meeting, chaired under the authority of veteran politician and ODM leader Dr Oburu Oginga Odinga and ODM national chairperson Gladys Wanga, exposed a party attempting to preserve unity while managing intensifying competition in the post-Raila transition era.
What appeared publicly as a consultative retreat was, in reality, an early containment strategy.
ODM fears that uncontrolled nomination wars could fracture its support base in Kisumu, Migori, Siaya and Homa Bay at a time when rival political formations aligned to President William Ruto are steadily penetrating the region.
Standing before a politically restless gathering of aspiring MPs, senators and governors, Oburu projected calm authority but delivered a carefully layered political message. Part reassurance. Part warning.
“To all fellow aspirants burning with the desire to serve your people, your passion is the fuel of our movement,” Oburu told delegates.
But beneath the conciliatory tone lay a harder political calculation. ODM is determined to avoid a repeat of previous chaotic primaries that left bitterness, rebellion and defections across Luo Nyanza.
“I have served the longest in Parliament,” Oburu declared. “With that longevity comes unmatched experience and institutional wisdom to guide this nation forward.”
The remarks carried unmistakable symbolism. As younger politicians increasingly demand generational transition inside ODM, the veteran legislator appeared keen to assert the continued relevance of the old guard in managing the party’s delicate succession process.
Party insiders say much of the closed-door discussions revolved around fears that fierce nomination battles could weaken ODM from within long before the general election itself arrives.
The anxiety has intensified amid growing cooperation between ODM and the ruling United Democratic Alliance in Parliament and broader national political negotiations.
Oburu directly addressed the sensitive issue of coalition arrangements and zoning, signalling that strategic decisions ahead of 2027 would ultimately be handled at the highest political level.
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“Strategic alignments will strictly be negotiated between our partners ODM and UDA,” he said.
“We must remain focused and disciplined.”
The remarks exposed ODM’s increasingly delicate balancing act. Publicly, the party insists it remains independent and firmly rooted in opposition traditions. Privately, however, senior figures increasingly acknowledge that political survival may depend on carefully managed cooperation with President Ruto’s administration.
At the centre of the Kisumu retreat was the question that has historically triggered ODM’s deepest internal crises — party nominations.
Wanga moved to calm anxiety among aspirants by assuring them that the party would conduct free, fair and transparent nominations despite mounting competition for seats across Nyanza.
She urged aspirants to formally register their interests early and warned against personal attacks capable of weakening ODM’s grassroots machinery before the national campaigns fully gather momentum.
“The contest must never divide us,” Oburu told the gathering during one of the retreat’s defining moments. “We must enter the general election as a formidable and unbroken front.”
The language reflected growing concern within ODM that political competition in Nyanza is becoming fiercer than at any point since the party’s formation. In several constituencies, youthful politicians backed by wealthy business interests are openly challenging long-serving party loyalists and veteran regional power brokers.
Yet despite the tensions, the Kisumu meeting also demonstrated ODM’s enduring organisational grip across its traditional stronghold. The party still commands emotional loyalty in much of Nyanza. What is rapidly changing is the battle over who inherits influence in the post-Raila Odinga political order.
And in that unfolding succession chessboard, the Grand Royal Swiss retreat may ultimately be remembered as more than a routine consultative meeting. It was an early attempt to discipline ambition, prevent rebellion and quietly redraw ODM’s internal power map before the full political storms of 2027 arrive.
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