By Anderson Ojwang
When ODM leadership thought that they had taken control of the late Raila Amolo Odinga’s first anniversary celebration, they were dead wrong.
They hurriedly released National Executive Committee-scheduled programmes meant to run for the entire month until Mama Ida Betty Odinga stepped in and left ODM leadership in tatters and disoriented.
She rubbed salt into the sour wound, displaced the ODM national chairperson, Gladys Wanga, and her team to the periphery, and took charge of the programme.
ODM NEC convened and came up with a raft of activities to celebrate Raila, which would culminate at the end of the month.
Ida, on her return from Nigeria and still smarting over the humiliation at the ODM @ 20 celebrations, had a chance to serve her revenge raw on the party luminaries.
The anniversary secretariat, headed by Nairobi don Prof. Adams Oloo, handled the organisation and gave the least preference to the ODM leadership.
Invite
Mama Ida did the unthinkable when she invited former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to the celebrations.
The invite read in part, “Rigathi Gachagua, party leader, DCP, Cannon Dr Ida Odinga and family cordially invite you to the 1st anniversary celebrations of the life and legacy of Raila Amolo Odinga.”
Gachagua has become a political punching bag for Wanga and her team in the ODM and the broad-based alliance, who often say they cannot join and work with him.
After Raila’s death, Wanga maintained her criticism of Gachagua and led a crusade against him in the community.
Wanga hit out at the former Deputy President after he questioned the circumstances surrounding the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
She told Gachagua to respect Raila Odinga and stop mocking the Luo community following the death of the former ODM party leader.
“Leave Baba Raila Amolo Odinga alone to rest in peace in heaven. We have not forgotten that one day you woke up at 5:00 AM and said that if Raila goes to protests, you yourself will kill him. That day, Baba’s car was hit by ten bullets! They almost killed him. You, Gachagua, said Baba must be sent back to Bondo. That it was the only job you had left,” said Wanga.
What a fix
Wanga, as the party’s national chairperson and the second most senior person in the party after the ailing party leader, Dr Oburu Oginga, couldn’t bear the reality of sharing a podium with the former Deputy President.
Instead, Wanga was in Dubai attending an official function and wrote:
“Following an invitation by United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), I joined global investors and policymakers at the RISE Summit 2026 in Dubai to position Homa Bay County as a competitive investment destination.
Our focus is on attracting strategic investment in smart urbanisation, green energy and digital infrastructure, including the Homa Bay Digital City and Riwa Special Economic Zone, through sustainable financing and strategic partnerships.
These conversations will continue in other international fora as we build partnerships that translate Homa Bay’s immense potential into tangible opportunities for our people.”
Gachagua appreciation
Gachagua thanked Mama Ida for the invite but was not able to attend, as he is currently in the USA.
“Mama Ida Odinga extended an invitation to me on the 1st Anniversary of the Late Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga.
Thank you, Mama Ida Odinga, for your invitation to me to attend the first anniversary of the Late Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga, the father of our democracy and defender of the rights of Kenyans.
I was not able to attend since I am away in the United States of America on a programme that was pre-planned.”
He celebrated Raila and admired Raila’s legacy of building a strong political party in the country.
“On this 1st anniversary of the great statesman Raila Odinga, I wish to celebrate the late former Prime Minister in my very words during his inauguration as our candidate to the Chair of the African Union.
I admire Baba’s legacy in building a strong political party and urging his followers to elect quality legislators. I am doing my very best in following his footsteps in building the DCP Party into a formidable political movement that will be at the centre of every political conversation in Kenya for many years to come,” he wrote.
Winnie-Wanga cold war
For some time, a cold war and battle for supremacy have been ongoing between Wanga and EALA MP Winnie Odinga.
The arrival of Winnie on the political front is likely to complicate politics for Wanga, and that is why she has been uneasy about the possible elevation of Winnie to a senior party position.
And now the battle lines have been drawn, and the two leading women leaders will finally have a chance to square it out.
The invitation of Linda Mwananchi
It is not lost on Kenyans that the detained ODM Homa Bay County youth leader, Abdi Sebo, is a close ally of Wanga.
During the recent Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay, it is alleged that Abdi led the youths to attack, maim and destroy property belonging to Linda Mwananchi leaders.
The anniversary was more of a Linda Mwananchi function, while ODM was the stranger in the house.
Siaya Governor James Orengo was at the forefront of organising the anniversary, while Wanga did not feature anywhere.
Orengo was constantly holding meetings with Ida, while ODM was left hanging, making its members strangers at the function.
Finance Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi did not take the incident at the anniversary lightly and took a swipe at Ida.
“There are people who think there are people who cannot give birth to leaders. Every woman has the capacity to birth a leader. From next year, we will have a different form of politics in Nyanza.”
The anniversary marked another mutation in the ODM. What could be coming next for the party?
