By Anderson Ojwang

The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has stated that it will field candidates in all vacant seats, a move that may go against its partner, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which wants its strongholds zoned.

Similarly, ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga has said the party will demand a 50-50 share in the coalition arrangement with President William Ruto’s UDA.

Wanga, speaking in Migori, said they will demand the post of deputy president and an equal number of Cabinet slots and other government appointments.

“We have been mandated to enter into talks with UDA. If they take the presidency, we take the deputy president post. In the Cabinet slots, we share 10-10 each so that we can distribute them among our support bases,” she said.

But as Wanga was placing ODM’s demands, UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar was clarifying to party members and prospective aspirants across the country that they would be free to vie anywhere.

“Just like the deputy party leader has said, there is no zoning and everyone will have to fight for themselves to win the seats.

Let those with three votes bring them; those with three hundred votes, let them bring them. You do not need to panic. Why should you be scared if this is your forte?

Bring your votes and we bring our votes so that President Ruto rides to victory. We have no problem with anyone. We have a relationship with ODM, and we support that faction of ODM that wants to unite Kenyans.

We do not support that wing of ODM being financed by Uhuru Kenyatta,” he said.

The ODM faction led by party leader Dr Oburu Oginga has been pushing for zoning in the scheduled negotiation talks with President Ruto.

Molo MP Kimani Kuria recently warned political parties against championing zoning, noting that such a practice is likely to interfere with the democratic rights of the electorate, as it promotes regional- and ethnic-based parties that are weak and lack clear manifestos.

Kuria said the proposal by ODM as part of a pre-coalition agreement would deny Kenyans the right to elect the right leaders and deprive them of the ability to demand development, as leaders would depend on party endorsement to win elections.

“As much as we welcome the views of our brothers in ODM and other like-minded parties, personally I am against this idea of zoning for a number of reasons. Zoning is the root cause of tribalism and lack of democracy in some regions of this country,” MP Kuria noted.

Homa Bay MP Opondo Kaluma said one of the conditions in a pre-election coalition agreement with UDA would be zoning, and that it is non-negotiable.

“We must ensure that our bases and strongholds are ring-fenced and left for the ODM party, and zoning is going to occur. Without that, we will have no arrangement,” he said.

The declaration by UDA on zoning is likely to trigger backlash from the ODM faction aligned to Oburu, which may feel disadvantaged in the emerging political dispensation in the post–Raila Amolo Odinga era.

For decades, ODM has awarded direct tickets to preferred candidates, which has negated healthy competition in its strongholds. With the demise of Raila and a more level playing field, ODM now appears disadvantaged and may lose several seats.

Currently, ODM is divided into two factions: the Dr Oburu faction under “Linda Ground” and the Secretary General Edwin Sifuna faction under “Linda Mwananchi.”

The two factions have, in the last two weeks, held parallel rallies. This weekend, Linda Ground will be in Siaya while Linda Mwananchi will be in Kakamega.

Wanga accused Sifuna of showing disrespect to Oburu and going against decisions made by party organs.

The Linda Mwananchi faction is opposed to pre-election coalition talks with President Ruto and wants ODM to field a presidential candidate in the 2027 General Election.

Recently, the ODM National Governing Council sacked Sifuna and replaced him with Busia Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo.

The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal overturned the sacking and gave Sifuna a reprieve, with Dr Oburu saying Sifuna was the court-recognized party secretary general while Omanyo remained the party secretary general.

The Kakamega Linda Mwananchi tour has sparked a chain of political reactions, with President Ruto holding a consultative meeting with legislators from the county, while his aide Faruk Kibet accused former President Uhuru Kenyatta of financing the group.

Speaking in Malava during campaigns for the UDA candidate in the Kabras West Ward by-election, Faruk said Uhuru was financing the group and facilitating the Kakamega meeting.

“Uhuru Kenyatta anatoa pesa ya kuitisha mkutano ambaye sio halali. Nyinyi watu wa Western Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta alikuja hapa? (Uhuru Kenyatta is financing meetings which are illegal. You people of Western Kenya, did Uhuru Kenyatta come to this region?)” he quipped.

With the emerging demands, unfolding political realignments, and shifting scenarios in the country, Oburu’s faction may soon find itself sliding away from the political chessboard.

By Anderson Ojwang

From a soft punch to a murkier bare-knuckle exchange, Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga and Oketch Salah, the self-claimed adopted son of the late Raila Amolo Odinga, have taken their spat a notch higher.

Ruth, in an interview with KTN on Wednesday, said she does not know Oketch Salah well and that he should give the family space.

Similarly, Ruth said the recent Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) National Executive Council (NEC) resolved that Salah should stop speaking on behalf of the party because he is not a party member.

“I really do not know him that well. I am one of the people who are surprised that he talks as if he knows me and knows everybody.

I think in my whole life, I have met Salah three times, and he supposedly claims to have been my brother’s friend.

But I don’t want to focus on him. For me, I feel that if he was my brother’s friend or son, as he calls himself—because I don’t know how he is his son—he should have had the intelligence that if my brother talked and confided in him, he should be able to come out and say what my brother told him,” she said.

Ruth asked Oketch Salah to give the family space to grieve and live as a family.

“For me, Oketch Salah, I would like to ask him to give us the space as a family to be a family,” she said.

But Salah responded that he would not force any relationship with Ruth Odinga and that his relationship was with Raila.

“Let me be clear from the outset: if you do not wish to associate with me, that is entirely your choice. I have never forced myself into your life, and I have never sought your attention. My relationship was with your late brother, and that relationship stood on its own. It had nothing to do with any other member of the family,” he wrote.

Ruth questioned why Oketch Salah hurriedly left India, where he was with Raila, when he heard she was coming to be with her brother.

“By the time I got to India, I never saw him. I am the one who was with my brother when he passed away. So whether he left because he was scared of me coming, I will not be able to tell you. I do not know him, and I would not want to be engaged in talking about him. I heard he was there, apparently being a friend to him,” she said.

Salah claimed he was the one who convinced Raila to allow Ruth to travel to India and that he purchased her travel ticket.

“For the record, I am the one who convinced Baba to have you join us in India after Jeff Oyer called him several times saying that you wanted to come.

I am also the one who arranged your business class ticket on Emirates.

The only reason I returned to Kenya earlier was because Baba personally asked me to go back to Kenya to conclude my son’s wedding, which had been postponed several times due to his health,” he wrote.

Ruth said that at the party’s NEC meeting, they discussed Oketch Salah and agreed that he should not speak on party matters.

“At the party’s NEC, we did talk about the fact that Oketch Salah is not supposed to be allowed to speak on behalf of the party because he is not a party member.

I am surprised that I keep seeing him coming out and doing what he does. Those are the things I was referring to.

The broad-based arrangement is for the government and not the party,” she said.

Salah responded: “Whatever I have done for ODM was not driven by personal interest; it was done at Baba’s request. ODM does not belong to you, or to me, or to any one family. If it does, then let that be stated openly, and I will step away without hesitation.”

Recently, Siaya Governor James Orengo described the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as mystic and mysterious to many of them.

Orengo claimed the circumstances under which Raila died left more questions than answers and expressed optimism that one day the truth would come out.

“I want to say without fear of contradiction that the death of Raila Amolo Odinga is still a mystery to a lot of us. Those who bear responsibility for the death of Raila Amolo Odinga are still out there.

They are silent, but I hope one day we will know the circumstances under which Raila Amolo Odinga passed away,” he said.

Recently, Raila’s daughter Winnie Odinga engaged in a bitter exchange with Oketch Salah over Raila’s health and death.

Winnie Odinga, in a Citizen TV interview, said he 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. People need to take care of their loved ones.

When you leave here and take Thika Road, you have two options—you either turn right as if you are going to Mathari or to 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 those intentions be?

He should be rushed to either Mathari or the DCI with immediate effect,” she said.

Oketch recently claimed on his social media platforms that he is Raila’s adopted son and that he was with him at his bedside when he first fell ill and during his final moments.

“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,” he wrote.

By Anderson Ojwang

For the first time, Kakamega Senator Bonny Khalwale, the king of bullfighting, has been upstaged and left to watch from afar as a titanic political bullfight unfolds during the Saturday Linda Mwananchi tour, which has left former President Uhuru Kenyatta with guns directed at him.

If anything, the Saturday Linda Mwananchi meeting in Kakamega is likely to herald the country into the real 2027 campaign season and also determine the future and trajectory of the troubled Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

Equally, the meeting has left Uhuru with guns trained on him by both the ODM party leader Dr Oburu Oginga-led faction and President William Ruto’s allies, who have accused him of financing the group.

President Ruto’s aide, Mr Faruk Teigut Kibet, did not mince his words and hit straight at the former president, accusing him of funding the ODM Secretary Edwin Sifuna group to undermine the President.

Speaking in Malava during campaigns for the UDA candidate in the Kabras West Ward by-election, Faruk said Uhuru was financing the group and facilitating the Kakamega meeting.

“Uhuru Kenyatta anatoa pesa ya kuitisha mkutano ambaye sio halali. Nyinyi watu wa Western Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta alikuja hapa? (Uhuru Kenyatta is financing meetings which are illegal. You people of Western Kenya, did Uhuru Kenyatta come to this region?)” he quipped.

Faruk said Uhuru failed to initiate development in Western Kenya and should stop creating division in the country.

“Aliwatengezia barabara? Kwanini unatoa pesa ya kungonganisha Wakenya? Wamama mumeamua aende. Yeye anatoa pesa ya kuzunguka miji mikubwa mikubwa (Did Uhuru construct roads here? Why are you financing meetings to divide Kenyans? Women have decided he should go. He is financing tours in major towns?),” he said.

He pleaded with the people of Malava to reject Saturday’s meeting and support development.

“Eti waliashugaka sijui wapi, eti wanakuja wapi. Watu wa Malava mnasema ashindwe? I don’t know where they were and I don’t know where they are going next. But you people of Malava, do you agree that Uhuru should be defeated in his plot?

Tunajua Uhuru Kenyatta umeanza kutoa pesa ulichukua kwa Wakenya, ndiyo tunakwambia. Hiyo pesa yako unatoa kiholela, serikali itaenda kufunga hiyo pesa yako. Na wewe hakuna kitu utafanya katika hii nchi (We know Uhuru Kenyatta has started financing meetings using money he got from Kenyans. I am warning you that we will freeze your finances, and what will you do?).

Kwani yeye ni nani? Alikuwa President wa Kenya, si anaitwa retired president? Kwani nyinyi mmeenda retire? Wangapi wanasema Uhuru Kenyatta aende? (Who is he? He was President of Kenya and is now a retired president. Have you also retired? How many are saying Uhuru Kenyatta should go?)” he said.

Faruk said they would not entertain divisive politics in the country and asked Uhuru to refrain from it.

“We will not entertain politics of division in this country. They have seen that we are constructing roads from Malava towards Chemasi, which they failed to do. We are committed to developing this region. We know you are financing the rallies, but you will be defeated. Does he think the Luhya are people to be lied to?” he said.

ODM Director of Elections Junet Mohammed, speaking in Lamu County, accused Uhuru of rocking ODM and asked him to leave the party alone and focus on his Jubilee Party.

“As you have seen since Raila left us, there have been wrangles within our party. The problem we have in ODM is not about the broad-based government or President William Ruto. The problem we have is former President Uhuru Kenyatta. He is the one destroying our party,” he said.

On Monday, the Linda Mwananchi group announced their Saturday rally in Kakamega, which was followed by President Ruto’s consultative meeting with legislators from the county.

The meeting between President Ruto and the legislators sent mixed signals on the political terrain, coming shortly after a section of MPs from the county sided with Sifuna over his sacking.

President Ruto, on his X handle, said he engaged MPs from Kakamega County at State House, Nairobi, on matters of development.

“Our discussions centered on accelerating development projects, including affordable housing, modern markets, road upgrades, the expansion of Kakamega Airport, completion of Bukhungu Stadium, and deepening access to electricity and water, among others.

We undertake to work with all leaders, irrespective of their political persuasions, to move our country forward and leave no one behind,” he wrote.

Saboti MP Caleb Amisi said the Linda Mwananchi tour is scheduled for this Saturday and urged the Luhya community to turn up in large numbers.

He wrote on his X handle: “Mbale Town and Kakamega Town mko tayari. Saturday 21st February 2026. Kenya needs renaissance.”

On President Ruto’s meeting with MPs from the county, Amisi questioned whether the political pressure on the President was increasing or decreasing.

He wrote on his X handle, accompanied by a photo of President Ruto with the MPs: “Does pressure increase or decrease?”

Over the weekend, Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera supported ODM Secretary Edwin Sifuna, saying his removal was unfair, unconstitutional, and that he was not given an opportunity to defend himself.

“As a founder member of the party, I have today made it clear that ODM must live by its ideals, including promoting democracy and espousing fairness. As clearly demonstrated, ODM NEC did not give Edwin Sifuna, the Secretary General, a fair hearing as provided for in our Constitution. On behalf of the genuine Kakamega leadership of ODM, we find the decision of the NEC unfair and unconstitutional,” he wrote on his Facebook handle.

Butere MP Tindi Mwale said the State House meeting was developmental in nature and aimed at accelerating service delivery.

He wrote on his Facebook page: “Joined my colleagues, leaders from Kakamega County, in holding candid and constructive discussions concerning development with President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi.

The meeting focused on matters of national importance, with particular emphasis on ongoing and proposed development projects and programmes in Kakamega, as well as strategies to accelerate transformation and strengthen service delivery in the region.”

Kakamega is set to usher in political bullfights as Kenya prepares for the August 2027 elections.

By Anderson Ojwang

After a lackluster show by ODM party leader Dr Oburu Oginga at the Linda Ground rally last weekend in Tononoka, Mombasa, the group has now shifted the battle to Siaya County amid growing hostility in the region.

ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga on Tuesday faced growing hostility in both Ahero Town in Kisumu and Kendu Bay in Homa Bay County after she was heckled and booed over wrangles in the party and the proposed pre-election coalition.

In both Ahero and Kendu town stopovers, Wanga and her entourage were heckled as the crowd chanted the names of Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna.

The crowd told Wanga they were prepared to return to demonstrations and dismissed her calls to support development.

Stung by the emerging hostility in Nyanza, top party leaders from the region embarked on making calls and inviting influential personalities to join their brigade to help contain the situation.

Last evening, national party officials, Kisumu leaders, and local party officials were working on a damage-control strategy to counter the Linda Mwananchi brigade in Kisumu on their way to Kakamega Town for the rally.

Oburu posted on his X handle: “Linda Ground, Ahindi Gardens, Siaya Town, 21st February 2026.”

Alego MP Sam Atandi, who is also the National Assembly Budget Committee Chairman and the host MP, also wrote on his X handle: “Bi Uru (Come all).”

Interestingly, Siaya Governor James Orengo is one of the key members of Linda Mwananchi, and the rally in Siaya will test his grip on the county.

While Oburu will be in Alego, his maternal uncle’s backyard, Orengo, his on-and-off ally and rival, will be in Kakamega Town, where the Luhya community is expected to receive back their son, Sifuna, following his botched sacking.

For the Linda Ground team, the Siaya meeting holds the key to their political turnaround after Linda Mwananchi held successful rallies in Busia and Kitengela in the last two weeks.

For Oburu, the Siaya meeting will be used to determine his grip on Nyanza politics and to send a warning to political opponents opposed to the proposed pre-election coalition pact with President William Ruto’s UDA party.

The Linda Mwananchi brigade is expected to converge in Kisumu before departing for Mbale in Vihiga and culminating in a final rally in Kakamega Town.

President William Ruto held a consultative meeting with legislators from Kakamega County on Monday ahead of the Linda Mwananchi rally in the town.

The meeting sent mixed signals on the political terrain, coming shortly after a section of MPs from the county sided with Sifuna over his sacking.

President Ruto, on his X handle, said he engaged MPs from Kakamega County at State House, Nairobi, on matters of development.

“Our discussions centered on accelerating development projects, including affordable housing, modern markets, road upgrades, the expansion of Kakamega Airport, completion of Bukhungu Stadium, and deepening access to electricity and water, among others.

We undertake to work with all leaders, irrespective of their political persuasions, to move our country forward and leave no one behind,” he wrote.

Saboti MP Caleb Amisi said the Linda Mwananchi tour is scheduled for Saturday and urged the Luhya community to turn up in large numbers.

He wrote on his X handle: “Mbale Town and Kakamega Town mko tayari. Saturday 21st February 2026. Kenya needs renaissance.”

On President Ruto’s meeting with MPs from the county, Amisi questioned whether the political pressure on the President was increasing or decreasing.

He wrote on his X handle, accompanied by a photo of President Ruto with the MPs: “Does pressure increase or decrease?”

Over the weekend, Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera supported ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, saying his removal was unfair and unconstitutional and that he was not given an opportunity to defend himself.

“As a founder member of the party, I have today made it clear that ODM must live by its ideals, including promoting democracy and espousing fairness. As clearly demonstrated, ODM NEC did not give Edwin Sifuna, the Secretary General, a fair hearing as provided for in our Constitution. On behalf of the genuine Kakamega leadership of ODM, we find the decision of the NEC unfair and unconstitutional,” he wrote on his Facebook handle.

Butere MP Tindi Mwale said the State House meeting was developmental in nature and aimed at accelerating service delivery.

He wrote on his Facebook page: “Joined my colleagues, leaders from Kakamega County, in holding candid and constructive discussions concerning development with President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi.

The meeting focused on matters of national importance, with particular emphasis on ongoing and proposed development projects and programs in Kakamega, as well as strategies to accelerate transformation and strengthen service delivery in the region.”

In Mombasa, Oburu said they would not allow people to pull them back after the party mandated him to embark on negotiations with President William Ruto’s UDA.

“I have made my shoes and I have started to walk, so I cannot fall. Raila left us in a broad-based arrangement. I have been mandated by the party to negotiate with President Ruto. I am soon forming a strong team from ODM to lead the negotiations.

We are not going to allow people to pull us backward. Things will not fall apart,” he said.

Babu said the Kitengela rally marked an important moment in the party and defined the two factions.

“Today they have the party, but we have the party members. When they go to State House, do they tell you? They go alone. They are trying to threaten us, but they cannot manage us,” he said.

Orengo said the genuine ODM members were in Kitengela and that those in Mombasa should refund President Ruto his money.

“Watu wa ODM ambao wako Mombasa warudishie Ruto pesa zake (Those ODM members in Mombasa should refund Ruto his money). ODM members and leaders are here in Kitengela,” he said.

Oburu said there were disciplinary issues in the party and that the minority must accept the decision of the majority.

“In ODM, as you all know, we have some disciplinary issues within us because we believe that a political party is like a club. It must have discipline, and democracy does not mean chaos but order.

If you are in the minority and you are defeated, you keep your tail under you and do not go out talking as if you are the king,” he said.

Sifuna responded that as of February 15, 2026, he was still the Secretary General of ODM.

“Kitengela hoyee! Can you see me better? Because of your prayers and the love of God, I stand here in Kitengela as the Secretary General of ODM,” he said.

In Mombasa, Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohammed accused the Sifuna faction of affiliating with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

He said the Mombasa meeting was purely ODM, unlike the Kitengela one, which he said was attended by leaders from Jubilee, DCP, Wiper, and other parties.

However, Babu Owino said the fruits of demonstrations cannot be downplayed and that their contribution to a better Kenya is well documented.

“Every day they say they don’t want demos. Let me ask: how did we chase away the colonialists? What brought multipartyism, the new Constitution, and the broad-based government?” he said.

By Team

The political temperatures in Kisumu County took a different turn after the National Chairperson of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Gladys Wanga, and her entourage were heckled and shouted down in Ahero Town.

Wanga drove and made a stopover in Ahero Town in what was seen as testing the ground after the failed sacking of ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and the differences over the proposed pre-election pact between ODM and President William Ruto’s UDA party.

Wanga was last week in Mombasa with other National Executive Council members, where they sacked Sifuna over alleged disciplinary issues and mandated the party to embark on a pre-election coalition with the UDA party.

However, the Political Parties Tribunal Court gave Sifuna a reprieve. While ODM party leader Dr Oburu Oginga maintained that Busia Woman Representative Catherine Omanyo remains the Secretary General, he described Sifuna as the “court-recognised Secretary General.”

Wanga, once a darling of the crowd, found herself on the wrong side of the emerging political dispensation and was heckled and shouted down by the crowd.

“Ongee ka uchamo uriambo kendo to duo kuru (Nothing, nothing, lies, lies. If you ate alone, take it back),” the crowd shouted.

Wanga, the Homa Bay Governor, was on her way to Homa Bay and made a stopover in Ahero, where she met a hostile crowd and was booed.

Wanga, who was accompanied by Homa Bay County Assembly Majority Leader Richard Ogindo and Kisumu ODM leader Adui Nyang’, was heckled by the crowd, who chanted “uongo” (lies).

A shocked Wanga was left baffled after the crowd said the party does not help them and expressed disinterest in the proposed pre-election coalition pact.

Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi rally will be held in Kisii on Friday, and the team is expected to make a brief stopover in Kisumu on the way.

Ogindo was also heckled when he said the country was divided into two political blocs: the broad-based alliance of President William Ruto and ODM leader Dr Oburu Oginga, and another faction.

“Jodalawa, adwaro ni uwinj wechegi maber. Kenya, siasa osepogore e mirengo ariyo. Mirengo mokuongo en broad-based ka otel gi William Samoei Ruto gi marengo mar ariyo en mar Wamunyoro (My people, I want you to understand this well. In Kenya today, politics has been divided into two blocs. The first bloc is the broad-based government headed by President William Ruto, and the other is headed by Wamunyoro [Rigathi Gachagua]),” he said, but the crowd responded, “Uongo!” (Lies).

President William Ruto held a consultative meeting with legislators from Kakamega County ahead of the Linda Mwananchi rally scheduled for this Saturday.

The meeting comes hot on the heels of the ODM faction led by Secretary General Edwin Sifuna announcing the Linda Mwananchi tour of Kakamega this Saturday.

After successful Busia and Kitengela Linda Mwananchi tours and emerging pressure from Kakamega, the team comprising Siaya Governor James Orengo, Babu Owino, Caroli Omondi, Geoffrey Osotsi, Caleb Amisi, among others, yielded to the demand for what is billed as the mother of all rallies.

It will mark the return of their son after he was sacked by the ODM National Governing Council but received a reprieve from the Political Parties Tribunal Court.

President Ruto’s meeting with the legislators sent mixed signals on the political terrain, coming shortly after a section of MPs from the county sided with Sifuna over his sacking.

President Ruto, on his X handle, said he engaged MPs from Kakamega County at State House, Nairobi, on matters of development.

“Our discussions centered on accelerating development projects, including affordable housing, modern markets, road upgrades, the expansion of Kakamega Airport, completion of Bukhungu Stadium, and deepening access to electricity and water, among others.

We undertake to work with all leaders, irrespective of their political persuasions, to move our country forward and leave no one behind,” he wrote.