By Anderson Ojwang

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Dr Oburu Oginga has cautioned a section of leaders from the Luo community who are hell-bent on having government officers from the region sacked.

Oburu told the leaders from the community to shut up over the scheme as it was not for the benefit of the community.

“I am addressing the issue by some people demanding the sacking of our people in the government to shut up. If they are sacked, will you get a replacement from here? If you won’t, why should you demand?” he said.

Oburu, who spoke at Nyanza Golf Club on Friday night, expressed concern over the negative energy of a section of leaders who have been demanding the sacking of government officers from the region.

“How do you want these officers sacked? Do you even know how they were appointed to the posts? If they are sacked, will the community get those posts again?” he said.

Oburu said it was important to rally support for those in government as they represent the interests of the community and should not be undermined.

Oburu also expressed his confidence in the Internal Security Permanent Secretary Dr Raymond Omollo and said he will continue to work with him.

In the formation of the broad-based government, Dr Oburu negotiated for the cabinet and permanent secretaries slots for ODM.

In the recent past, a section of some community leaders have been calling for the sacking of Omollo as the Permanent Secretary, with allegations that some leaders from Homa Bay County recently met to plot to pressure President William Ruto to sack him or transfer him to a different portfolio.

But Homa Bay MP Opondo Kaluma, in a recent TV interview, denied any plot by the leadership of Homa Bay to demand his sacking.

“PS Omollo is our son. He comes from Homa Bay, and we love him so much. At no time have we sat down in private or public to discuss his sacking. He is doing a great job, and if you want to hurt us as people of Homa Bay, try to sack him. Those are cheap propaganda,” he said.

Last year, Kaluma dismissed claims that ODM wanted Omollo sacked from his post.

“This is fake, baseless propaganda. The ODM party has no problem with Dr. Raymond Omollo. Dr. Omollo is a gallant son of Kenya from the great Homa Bay County. We love him. Whoever is imagining evil against him does not mean well for ODM, the broad-based government and Kenya,” Kaluma wrote on his social media handle.

Kaluma was then reacting to claims by former police spokesperson Charles Owino that some ODM members were scheming to get Omollo sacked.

According to Owino, ODM members had initiated the plot due to the power and influence surrounding the position of the Interior PS, which they believe should be filled by one of their own, in line with the Memorandum of Understanding between their party and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). “What is happening in Homa Bay is a fear of the unknown. I don’t want to take sides in the ongoing UDA and ODM factions, but there is a significant plan to have the PS removed from his position before the 2027 elections,” Owino claimed.

Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and Omollo have had a cat-and-mouse relationship and have been feuding over the national government projects in the county. While Omollo is credited for spearheading the projects, Wanga also claims to have lobbied President William Ruto for the projects.

The feud forced Hesbon Omollo, Raymond’s elder brother, to relinquish his political ambition for the Homa Bay gubernatorial seat to thaw a plot by a section of MPs who were pushing for the PS’s removal.

Currently, there were allegations that a section of Homa Bay MPs allegedly asked President Ruto to transfer Omollo to a lesser position or to sack him altogether.

This was viewed as a continuing fight between Omollo and Wanga after last year’s demonstrations against the Homa Bay governor for allegedly fighting the permanent secretary. The demonstrations were witnessed in Kisumu, Siaya and Migori counties and parts of Nairobi.

By Anderson Ojwang

For better or worse, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) will only get into a coalition arrangement with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

ODM party leader Dr Oburu Oginga said ODM was only interested in a coalition with President William Ruto’s party, UDA, and the party has not been swallowed by UDA.

“We as ODM are not interested in other parties we are not negotiating with. We are only particularly interested in UDA, with whom we are going to negotiate,” he said.

Oburu said he was in a good relationship with President Ruto and asked him to rein in some of his party officials causing disunity in the broad-based arrangement.

“I personally, as Dr Oburu Oginga, am in a good relationship with the President, who is the leader of UDA. He needs to discipline and talk to some of his senior officials in his party. That is all we are saying,” he said.

Oburu denied reports in a section of the media that ODM had stopped pre-election coalition negotiations with UDA, terming them as far-fetched.

“I want to clarify that our yesterday’s meeting did not resolve that we stop negotiations talks with UDA as was reported in a section of the media. We cannot stop what has not started. Our negotiations with UDA have not started,” he said.

Oburu said the party was yet to form a technical committee to undertake the negotiations.

“We have not formed the negotiation teams, and there is no issue of putting a break to it. The issues under discussion in the public are what people are thinking aloud. Our technical team is preparing a detailed agenda, and we will make them public and arrive at a solution,” he said.

The disquiet

ODM has been witnessing salient disquiet after the death of Raila, with one section allied to Secretary General Edwin Sifuna opposing the pre-election coalition with UDA and subsequently forming Linda Mwananchi, which has gained traction.

Linda Ground recently held a special delegates conference and mandated the party leader Dr Oburu to embark on negotiations with President Ruto.

And now Wanga has come out strongly to protect ODM from infiltration, saying they were ready to walk out of any negotiations.

“Ka ngato omulo chama wa. Kata in ema omiyo wa mo moleny (If someone tries to destroy our party, even if he is the one who gives us ghee). Waweyo ne mo no (We will leave that ghee),” she said.

Wanga said it was time to protect the party from intrusion and to prevent the party from losing its parliamentary strength in the next election.

“We must protect the party. You cannot go to the negotiation when you only have 20 MPs because you will have no bargaining power,” she said.

Junet claimed that state machinery was being used to pressure ODM legislators – particularly from the Coast and Western regions – to defect to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

The zoning battle

UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar has said the party intends to expand its footprint through coordinated mobilization efforts at the village level, emphasizing that local leaders would play a central role in building support networks and rallying voters behind the party’s agenda.

Omar noted that UDA’s strategy is anchored on inclusivity and open political competition, rejecting any attempts to limit where candidates can contest.

“Anybody who wants to vie against UDA in our strongholds is welcome, and we won’t stop anyone. Similarly, for us, we don’t want anybody to tell us that we cannot file candidates in their strongholds. If it’s your stronghold, why are you worried? If they are your members, what problem do you have when UDA candidates vie? Why the panic?” Omar said.

But Oburu said ODM will not want to compete with people they are in a coalition alliance with, and that is why zoning will be one of the agenda items at the negotiation table.

“We don’t want to compete with UDA at the elections, and we don’t want them to interfere with our strongholds. We respect the relationship we have with UDA,” he said.

Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo has termed the zoning debate as premature, saying it should be deferred and handled at the negotiation table.

“Hakuna haja ya kuanza kubishana iwe kwa Matanga iwe kwa press conference; the place for such kinds of talks is in the negotiations. We must have, and I have always insisted we must have, structured negotiations. Come and say why zoning is bad; come and say why zoning is good.”

In the statement, they observed: “On our relationship with our broad-based partners, the UDA party, the CMC noted with concern the goings-on and the unwarranted public utterances by some senior officials aimed at causing anxiety and disquiet among our members. As a party that believes in its principles, ideology and the foundation on which it was founded, we demand respect from the UDA party.”

Dr Oburu of “Tunataka Pawa” is already settled for better or worse in the ODM and UDA marriage, and nothing will change his mind.

This will translate into Linda Ground moving to get an alternative vehicle.

By Anderson Ojwang

From the disheartening pain of the loss of the late Raila Amolo Odinga to a disappointing and embarrassing situation, the Orange Democratic Movement finds itself.

After betrayal while airborne from India where he died, to turning his precious treasure, the ODM, into a laughing stock.

In six months, the legacy, the struggles, pain and sacrifices of Raila have been thrown into the waste bin, and five decades of painful sweat, detention and suffering have been turned to laughter and disdain.

Six months ago, ODM bragged as the largest party in Africa, South of the River Limpopo, to Vanga and to Wuoth Ogik in Nyatike, to Turkana. From Turkana to Loitoktok, the movement was ODM.

The ODM fraternity would cap and ice it with the song of “Bado Mapambano” of the late Homa Bay senator Gerald Otieno Kajwang.

And now, the movement is in the intensive care unit, fighting for survival and receiving a dose to resuscitate it from eventual demise.

“Tunataka Pawa” to “Tunataka Respect”

The proposed pre-election coalition arrangement between ODM and UDA was fronted on the philosophy of delivering power and equal power sharing between UDA and ODM.

In a bid to sell the broad-based agenda, the Linda Ground of the party leader Dr Oburu Oginga came up with a political hype: “Hatuwezi kwa bila pawa, tunataka pawa. Broadbased ndio pawa. Weka mawe (We cannot stay without power. We want power. Broad based is power.)”

And on Thursday, a whining and deflated “pawa” crusaders came out from the Central Management Committee, humbled and disoriented from the emerging signs in the political union with UDA.

In the statement, they observed: “On our relationship with our broad-based partners, the UDA party, the CMC noted with concern the goings-on and the unwarranted public utterances by some senior officials aimed at causing anxiety and disquiet among our members. As a party that believes in its principles, ideology and the foundation on which it was founded, we demand respect from the UDA party.”

Junet warned their partners in the broad-based alliance against infiltration of their strongholds and threatened to walk out.

“I want to tell our UDA partners that we want power. If we can’t get it here, we will look elsewhere,” he said.

“Baba alituwacha kwa broad based”

For the last two weeks, a deafening silence over the once popular phrase “Baba alituwacha kwa broad based (Baba left us in broad based government)” is a worrying concern.

Dr Oburu, ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga, and ODM Director of Elections Junet Mohammed, the choirmaster, have since taken leave.

On several occasions, Oburu has said: “We are in a broad-based arrangement where Raila left us. We are not going to leave it soon. By 2027, we must be in power as a party.”

Wanga at the burial of Raila said the former Prime Minister’s final wish was for his party to remain in the broad-based government alongside President Ruto.

“The last instructions he left us with, and with a very clear mind, was that he made a conscious decision to join the broad-based government,” said Wanga.

But the Deputy Secretary General and the acting Secretary General of the Linda Ground faction, Catherine Omanyo, recently said the party was not supporting one term or two terms.

“There is no two-term or one-term. If we remember, Baba, the last lunch we had with him before he flew out for treatment and never came back alive, he advised us that although we are supporting the government, we are not in either one-term or two-term yet until after negotiations. He said we will support the government up to 2027 and then see the way forward. What do we do after 2027? So either way, Linda Mwananchi or Linda Ground, if anyone says one-term or two-term, they are wrong,” she said.

Linda Ground aping Linda Mwananchi over youth block

The Linda Ground rallies seem to have died a natural death, and to remain relevant, the faction has embarked on youth engagement. This is aimed at rivaling Linda Mwananchi, which is enjoying overwhelming youth support.

Oburu wrote on his social media handles: “To ensure we maintain this momentum, we have resolved to launch a nationwide drive aimed at popularizing the party and strengthening our roots in every corner of the country. For those few areas where grassroots elections are still pending, I urge our members to utilize our internal dispute mechanisms to finalize the process swiftly so we can move forward as a united front. Our commitment to the next generation is equally a priority. We are heading directly to the grassroots to engage our young leaders through a series of youth conventions. I am looking forward to being in Nairobi on Monday, April 20th, and Mombasa on Sunday, April 26th. These engagements will culminate in a joint NEC, Parliamentary Group, and Governors retreat scheduled from May 1st to 3rd.”

The devil in the house

The infiltration of ODM by UDA in its strongholds can be termed as the devil in the house. The debate on zoning is becoming a nightmare for ODM, and this is the point of conflict with UDA.

Linda Ground has morphed into Linda Chama and has been sent into a panic and crying mode.

And now Wanga has come out strongly to protect ODM from infiltration, saying they were ready to walk out of any negotiations.

“Ka ngato omulo chama wa. Kata in ema omiyo wa mo moleny (If someone tries to destroy our party, even if he is the one who gives us ghee). Waweyo ne mo no (We will leave that ghee),” she said.

Wanga said it was time to protect the party from intrusion and to prevent the party from losing its parliamentary strength in the next election.

“We must protect the party. You cannot go to the negotiation when you only have 20 MPs because you will have no bargaining power,” she said.

Junet claimed that state machinery was being used to pressure ODM legislators – particularly from the Coast and Western regions – to defect to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

For Linda Ground, the two plausible options are to stay in the marriage and accept to play second fiddle, or swallow their pride and unite with Linda Mwananchi.

By Anderson Ojwang

Governor James Orengo has walked out of the old Orange Democratic Movement shackles to chart his new political dispensation with the new cabinet appointments.

Orengo’s new cabinet appointments mirrors one on a new dispensation to enhance his grip on the Siaya county politics and weed out the allies of ODM party leader Dr Oburu Oginga and the MPs from the county who are allied to the “Linda ground.”

Most of the allies of the MPs who were in the cabinet were shown the door save for only CEC Finance George Nyingiro and Grace Agola , former KCB Siaya Branch Manager, who was appointed CEC for Education.

Mr. Joseph Rading, formerly of Siaya Public Service, from Gem was nominated to be CEC Governance.

Orengo cast his net wider by politician Mrs. Christine Oyuu to Trade, she is the wife of KNUT secretary general Mr. Collins Oyuu.

Mr. Willis Okoth , CEC Agriculture is a former Imbo West MCA while Dr Kut Ochogo lost to Alego MP Sam Atandi in the controversial ODM nomination,

Mr. . Neto Adhola , CEC Lands is s respected politician from Rarieda, who have lost the ODM nomination for the constituency on controversial circumstances.

Other nominated for CEC were Eng. Erick Odawa for Public Works and Martine Konyango-Health and Sanitation

Orengo new look cabinet is more of “Linda Mwananchi” one composes of some politicians who were allegedly rigged in the ODM primaries in various seats.

Check mating Sam Atandi with Dr Kut

Alego MP Sam Atandi was once a close ally of Orengo and campaigned for him during the 2022 gubernatorial elections.

Atandi was one of the key leaders who negotiated Dr William Oduol Orengo gubernatorial ticket.

But Atandi and Orengo have since fallen out over the pre-election coalition pact between ODM and United Democratic Alliance (UDA) of President William Ruto.

Kut is not a political pushover in Alego politics and his appointment will make Atandi’s team to the drawing board ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Neto Adhola political networks

Neto has a wide political network not only in Rarieda but Siaya county. This appointment is a slap on area MP Dr Otieno Amolo, who may face Adhola in the 2027 general election, should he decide to contest.

Neto is from Asembo, where Eng Nicholas Gumbo comes from. Gumbo recently declared interest in the Siaya gubernatorial seat

The End of the Oburu–Raila Dominance

For decades, Siaya has been the political heartland of the Odinga family, a region where loyalty to Raila Odinga and Dr Oburu Oginga defined both politics and power. County appointments, contracts and alignments flowed through that network.

But Orengo’s recent moves have disrupted that tradition. The governor is now perceived as building his own power base, one that no longer depends on approval from the Odinga inner circle.

“This is the first real political separation from the Odinga family’s hold in Siaya,” observed a county insider. “Orengo is carefully dismantling the old order while presenting it as routine governance.”

While the governor remains outwardly respectful of Raila, his decisions, from senior staff changes to his anticipated CEC reshuffle, are seen as part of a broader political succession project in which Orengo is positioning himself as the next dominant voice in Luo Nyanza politics.

A New Power Structure Emerging

What is unfolding in Siaya is more than a routine political shake-up; it is a strategic repositioning of Orengo’s leadership ahead of 2027.

By neutralizing pro-Ruto voices and asserting authority over ODM’s county operations, Orengo is redefining Siaya’s political centre from one dominated by Raila and Oburu to one revolving around himself.

He is said to be building a network of loyalists across key departments, sub-counties and ward-level structures in a new political army that will anchor his influence both within and beyond ODM.

The strategy, insiders say, is to control both the county executive and grassroots political machinery, ensuring that any future political negotiation in Nyanza, especially in a post-Raila era, must pass through Orengo.

The Larger ODM Picture

Within ODM, Orengo’s moves are being interpreted in two ways. His supporters describe him as a reformer modernizing politics, giving the county independence from personality-driven politics. His critics, however, see a calculated centralization of power, meant to sideline historical allies and elevate loyalists under the guise of administrative renewal.

Yet one thing is certain: Siaya is no longer politically monolithic. The once-unquestioned ODM fortress is now a terrain of subtle power plays, emerging factions and realignment towards national relevance.

Governor Orengo’s current moves have little to do with performance and everything to do with political control.

By reconstituting his cabinet and administration, he is sending a clear message that the age of indirect rule through political elders is over.

In the process, Siaya is becoming a microcosm of Kenya’s evolving political realignment, where loyalty to personalities is giving way to pragmatic power-building.

As one long-time ODM strategist put it:

“What Orengo is doing is not rebellion but evolution. He is positioning himself for the next political chapter, with or without Raila.”

Inside Siaya’s Power Shift

Who’s Losing Influence:
● Long-serving Odinga–Oburu loyalists within the county administration.
● Officials perceived to support Ruto’s broad-based agenda.

Who’s Rising:
● Orengo’s loyal technocrats and younger allies across key departments.
● Grassroots coordinators aligned with the governor’s 2027 strategy.

What It Means:
● A weakened ODM hierarchy in Siaya.
● Orengo emerging as a new regional power broker.
● Early tremors of a post-Raila political era taking shape in Nyanza.

By Anderson Ojwang

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is acting like a jilted lover in a marriage which is yet to be consummated after the groom, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), showed indifference.

The pomp, fanfare and illustrious parties that marked the wooing of the bride after the demise of the founder and immediate party leader, the late Raila Amolo Odinga, seem to have disappeared into thin air.

The goodies, expensive gifts, high-end meetings and chopper rides that initially formed part and parcel of the engagement have since dried up, and the party is back to its financial constraints after the groom failed to disburse the Sh12 billion owed to the bride from the Political Parties Fund.

The romantic tone and gestures that formed part of discussions have been replaced by rudeness, verbal abuse, intimidation and blackmail.

Recently, the bride enjoyed a flight to Kilifi for a National Governing Council, which culminated in the unsuccessful sacking of the Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, now a principal in the Linda Mwananchi faction of the party.

The high-end escapade also ratified the Special Delegates Conference, which confirmed Dr Oburu Oginga as the party leader, Gladys Wanga as the National Chairperson, Kisii Governor Simba Arati and his Mombasa counterpart Abdulsamad Nassir as deputy party leaders, among others.

The SDC also sacked Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi as deputy party leader, but the senator is currently a principal in the Linda Mwananchi faction. The SDC also mandated Oburu to engage with the groom, President William Ruto.

But after the SDC, the pre-election coalition talks that informed the formation of Linda Ground to engage the party members on the negotiations seem to have died a natural death.

Jilted Lover

On Thursday, the Central Management Committee meeting demanded respect from the partner UDA in a statement.

“On our relationship with our broad-based partners, the UDA party, the CMC noted with concern the goings-on and the unwarranted public utterances by some senior officials aimed at causing anxiety and disquiet among our members. As a party that believes in its principles, ideology and the foundation on which it was founded, we demand respect from the UDA party,” read the statement in parts.

Sweet love when it lasted

Kisumu Women Representative, then Ruth Adhiambo Odinga, expressed concern over the overnight riches in the party.

“As a signatory to the ODM account, if Sifuna questioned where all the money for choppers, big tents and ODM branded t-shirts and caps in the ‘Linda Ground’ conventions were coming from? We are seeing a situation where a lot of money is flying around, and there appears to be a deliberate approach to commit ODM party into a coalition agreement more than a year to the next general elections?” she asked.

Sifuna revealed that the funds and resources that were used in the Linda Ground engagement did not come from the party.

“The money and the resources you see being spent on the ODM rallies called Linda Ground, the monies do not come from ODM headquarters. For me, I can only account for the monies because I am a signatory to the bank accounts. Timothy Bosire is a signatory to the bank accounts. The last money we expended as ODM officially was for the celebration in Mombasa, and it was a fraction of what you saw there,” he said.

Sifuna said there was parallel funding of political activities in the party and they do not know where the funds were coming from.

“For a fact, there is parallel funding for activities clothed in ODM colors, and they go around saying they are ODM delegates. The Linda Ground are not financed from the ODM coffers and headquarters. There is no money that I executed a cheque for those activities. We didn’t have any money. The third quarter remittance from the exchequer came two weeks ago, about Sh100 million, and it is a drop in the ocean compared to what exactly ODM is supposed to receive.”

Warning signal

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua told the ODM leadership to request President Ruto to disburse the Sh12 billion political fund owed to the party by the government.

Gachagua said it was unfortunate that the leadership was driven by tokenism from the president instead of the disbursement of political funds owed to them.

“Instead of going for tokens, kindly ask the President to disburse even half of the amount owed to make the party financially sound. Former party national chairman John Mbadi is the current Cabinet Secretary for Finance. Why can’t he arrange to release funds to ODM? We need a stronger party with a sound financial standing. This is what the party leadership should prioritize,” Gachagua said.

Defiance by Linda Ground

Wanga then told Gachagua to give them a break and that they do not want his advice.

“Gachagua should give us a break. He should concentrate on his village party, DCP. He has built his politics on hate and division,” she said.

The hard times in the offing

Linda Ground has morphed into Linda Chama and has been sent into a panic and crying mode.

And now Wanga has come out strongly to protect ODM from infiltration, saying they were ready to walk out of any negotiations.

“Ka ngato omulo chama wa. Kata in ema omiyo wa mo moleny (If someone tries to destroy our party, even if he is the one who gives us ghee). Waweyo ne mo no (We will leave that ghee),” she said.

Wanga said it was time to protect the party from intrusion and to prevent the party from losing its parliamentary strength in the next election.

“Nyaka warit chama (We must protect the party). Ok inyal bedo e mesa ka in gimps 20 onge ngame dbi winji (You cannot go to the negotiation when you only have 20 MPs because you will have no bargaining power),” she said.

Wanga said Raila was able to negotiate on the strength of his MPs and expressed concern that the party may lose that strength in 2027 if they do not win most of the seats.

Junet warned their partners in the broad-based alliance against infiltration of their strongholds and threatened to walk out.

“I want to tell our UDA partners that we want power. If we can’t get it here, we will look elsewhere,” he said.

Junet claimed that state machinery was being used to pressure ODM legislators – particularly from the Coast and Western regions – to defect to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

He said the move was aimed at weakening ODM’s national influence and reducing it to a regional outfit.

Gachagua’s last laugh

Gachagua has been vindicated, and his warning to the ODM leadership that President William Ruto was fattening them for the butcher’s knife has come to pass.

He had warned the ODM leadership of Dr Oburu Oginga, National Chairperson Gladys Wanga and Director of Elections Junet Mohammed of Ruto’s scheme to destroy the party.

“I have often told ODM leadership that they should not allow William Ruto to destroy ODM. You shouted me down and asked that I should keep off. I have seen Gladys Wanga is now crying. Junet Mohammed is also crying. All the Raila’s leaders are crying. I warned you that Kasongo will destroy ODM, but you didn’t listen to me,” he said.

Tears of regret

Wanga opened the taps of tears as they freely flowed over what she termed as betrayal and lack of respect for ODM.

Visibly emotional and drained, Wanga used a handkerchief in her hand to wipe the tears as the public watched in disbelief and sympathized at the same time.

Wanga declared that ODM was the only inheritance left behind by the founder, the late Raila Odinga, and will defend it at all cost.

“This our party is what our party leader, the late Raila, left us. It is all we have. We will defend and protect our party. Defending our party comes number one before anything else. So we will defend our party, our people, and we will defend our areas. We will make sure that our parliamentary strength is not reduced by even an inch. Ok wane mumbo wala ei ot (We are not scared of darkness). No. It is our party. Weche modong wabiro wacho mbele ka wasebedo kod heshima e party ka (We will only discuss other business when respect exists),” she said.