By Anderson Ojwang
From nowhere emerged one Oketch Salah, first claiming to be Raila Amolo Odinga’s “doctor”, later an adopted son, and now the right hand of the ODM party leader, Dr Oburu Oginga.
Unlike MPs Junet Mohammed and Shakeel Shabbir, who climbed the ladder by first being nominated councillors and later mayors of Migori and Kisumu councils respectively, Oketch Salah is not known within or outside any political movements and corridors.
Junet and Shabbir have built their own political bases and integrated with the local community to acquire space and leadership roles, while Oketch was only seen at a few functions with Raila, now claiming ‘stake’ to even be the spokesperson of the community.
Flip-flopping
Oketch, after he was recently disowned by Raila’s daughter, Winnie Odinga, who said he was a candidate for the DCI or Mathari Hospital.
“When you leave here and take Thika Road, you have two options: you either turn right as if you are going to Mathari or the DCI, because a flat lie that you were there at the time of my father’s death when you were not, and talking about things that did not occur, is quite dangerous and makes me question a lot of things. What would be those intentions?
He should be rushed to either Mathari or the DCI with immediate effect,”she said.
But Oketch flip-flopped by posting on his X handle, “Today, I had a discussion with my sister from Migori, Her Excellency Ambassador Min Piny, Mama Ida Odinga. Winnie Odinga is like my younger sister and I have no issue with her.”
The question that now emerges is whether Oketch Salah is an ‘adopted’ son to Raila and, if so, why he is referring to Mama Ida as his sister and also referring to Winnie as his younger sister. Which is which here? Are both Ida and Winnie his sisters, and how? Mama Ida is the mother to Winnie.
Jaoko Oburu, the family dilemma
Hardly 12 hours after Winnie disowned Salah, Jaoko Oburu was criss-crossing the country with Salah, meeting ODM delegates in the South Rift region. Jaoko went ahead to recognise Salah and even called him, “Let me call him Oketch Salah Odinga.”
Recently, Winnie Odinga, in a Citizen TV interview, said Oketch was a stranger and should either be taken to Mathari or the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters for interrogation.
“I have met Oketch Salah, but I would like to believe nobody really knows him. I also feel sad for him. My father died, and that was a traumatic experience for me.
At least he died with somebody he knew loved him, and people need to take care of their loved ones.”
Oketch recently claimed on his social media platforms that he is Raila’s adopted son and that he was with him at his deathbed and when he first fell ill.
“I was with Baba Raila Odinga from the time he first fell ill until his final moments on earth. That is a fact. I do not say this for sympathy, relevance or political mileage; I say it because it is the truth.
I was with Baba throughout his pain. I know what it felt like. There were moments I genuinely thought I was losing him. Moments when it was only me and one security guard present, holding Baba, trying to steady him, trying to help him through the pain. This is not a story.”
Whose money?
Last week, speaking in the South Rift, Oketch Salah said he was financially prepared to buy out delegates to support the election of Oburu as the party leader at the NDC.
“It is our request to allow Dr Oburu to begin discussions with President William Ruto on the pre-election coalition pact. Do you agree and accept that Dr Oburu is the party leader and that he should begin the talks?
When we go to the National Delegates Conference (NDC), all the delegates who are here, if anyone tries to bribe you, just know we have the money. If they try to bribe you, do not agree. We have the money. Do not be bribed by anyone. If anyone wants to bribe you so that you vote against Dr Oburu, come to me and ask me for money,” he said.
Recently, Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Adhiambo Odinga decried the presence of huge amounts of money in the ODM party that was negating its basic principles and operations.
Ruth wondered where the huge amounts of money currently being used by the party were coming from.
“But we are seeing a situation where a lot of money is flying around, and there appears to be a deliberate approach to commit the ODM party into a coalition agreement more than a year before the next general elections.
Where is the money coming from? Is it in the Budget and Appropriations Committee at the National Assembly? I know that the government has not given the ODM party money, so where is all the money coming from?” she asked.
Recently, Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya lamented how the insatiable love for money was destroying the party and going against the grain and principles of the founder leader, the late Raila Amolo Odinga.
“First, I want to tell Kenyans that we are ODM members and we will remain in ODM.
Lakini nikiona ile inaendelea kwa ODM na mimi nimekuwa karibu sana na Mheshimiwa Marehemu Raila Amolo Odinga (When I see what is currently happening in the ODM party, yet I was very close to the late Raila Amolo Odinga),
Ninashangaa sana. Nikiiona vile mambo ya pesa yameharibu viongozi. Viongozi wanaenda hapa wanaongea jambo moja, wakitoka hapo kwa sababu wamepewa pesa, kichwa kinachanganyikiwa (I am shocked. Money has destroyed leaders. Leaders go to one place and say one thing, then shortly after say a contradictory thing because they have been given money. Money has confused their minds).”
For the moment, Oketch Salah will remain a constant in the Odinga family and may be a contributing factor to the widening gap in the family.
