By Anderson Ojwang
Raila Odinga’s first posthumous birthday, 83 days after his death, spoke louder than words and was marked by his wife, Mama Ida Odinga’s clarion call to “preserve the Orange Democratic Movement party in his honour.”
A pregnant statement which aptly captured the actual and unfolding situation in the party, which has been embroiled in wrangles and a possible disintegration.
They say actions speak louder than words and indeed, in the 83 days after his demise, his Karen home, that was usually a beehive of activities during such events, remained quiet, with his family holding a private party attended by legislators from Nairobi.
Raila’s once close allies who previously organised high-end birthday parties and crowned the day with bunches of flowers and gifts opted to celebrate the day in different forms and formats.
Leading the Nairobi delegation to Raila’s Karen home was ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, who has been in the eye of the storm in the party, with a section of party leaders and MPs wanting him disciplined.
And the action spoke louder when Ida hugged Sifuna in a show of trust and confidence and said, “Edwin Sifuna is going nowhere. He is Baba’s son. Kawuono otho to oriambo nyithindo moko e ot. Unyalo bedo kod guandruok to bed uru piny mondo ulosi. Onge ngat ma iriembo bende onge ngat ma wuok. (Today, if your father is dead, do you chase out some of his children? You may have your differences but must still sit down to resolve the dispute. Nobody will be kicked out of the party and nobody is leaving),” she said.
The absence of the party leader, Oburu Odinga, who has stood side by side in all his younger brother’s birthday parties, was conspicuous, as was that of her younger sister, the Kisumu East Woman Representative.
Instead, Oburu chose to write a tribute to his brother on his X handle, “My dear brother, it has been incredibly difficult coming to terms with your loss. We grew up as twins, sharing so much of life, laughter, and understanding. Today, it feels unreal to speak of you in the past tense, to call you the late Raila,”
In Kilifi County, coastal leaders gathered to celebrate the 81st birthday, and conspicuously absent was any prominent member of the Odinga family.
From the Coast, the leaders vouched for Cabinet Secretary Hassan Ali Joho to become the ODM party leader and the 2032 presidential candidate.
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, just as he had proposed Oburu to be the party leader, proposed Joho’s 2032 presidential bid.
Governor Gedion Murangaro said they were ready to take over the party to avoid it being auctioned.
Joho wrote on his X handle, “The occasion accorded us the opportunity to reflect on the life of Baba and share great testimonies of who he was and the part he played in mentoring leaders across the Coast,”
In Kango ka Jaramogi, residents gathered at the homestead to celebrate Raila’s birthday, and there were no prominent political figures at the event.
ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga, one of Raila’s closest allies in life, posted on her X handle, “Baba 80+1. Forever in our hearts, Jakom,”
Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o posted a tribute on his X handle, “A memorial birthday tribute to the late Right Honourable Raila Amollo Odinga, 7/1/2025 (81 years since his birth),”
Raila, in his 83 days in the grave, has seen his party, ODM, face tumultuous and turbulent moments that have threatened to tear the party apart and could have contributed to the lack of a unified birthday celebration on his behalf, as happened in the past.
“It is my wish that we can preserve the party in his honour as a matter of service to our country. I want to appeal to those Baba left in the leadership of the party to reflect deeply and sincerely on his dreams for the party and for our country,” Ida said.
Ida challenged the current leaders in the party to give dialogue a chance and follow Raila’s footsteps in resolving disputes in the party.
“Let us support the problems of the party by always asking ourselves, what would Baba do under these circumstances?
I guess your guess is as good as mine. I am sure Baba would tell us, let us sit down and talk. And I am sure that is my wish, to sit down and talk our differences,” she said.
On Wednesday, Sifuna got a shot in the arm after the party leader, Dr Oburu Odinga, declared confidence in him.
Sifuna emerged victorious in a battle that had seen his critics, led by Migori Senator Eddy Oketch, petition the party organs to take disciplinary action against him over his stand on the broad-based alliance.
Oketch faced a barrage of criticism from party members and legislators led by Suba South MP Caroli Omondi, who told him the move was bound to fail.
Caroli wrote on his X handle, “Senator Eddy Oketch is once again the complainant against his colleague, Senator Edwin Sifuna, over allegations that have no legal legs to stand on. He will most certainly lose again should he continue with this misadventure. I have spoken to him directly and asked him to withdraw this letter, at least to save his reputation,”
On Wednesday at ODM headquarters, Oburu held a discussion with Sifuna, whom he described as espousing the party’s democratic ideals.
The move has steadied the turbulent waters in the party that was nearly capsizing the boat, which has been rocked by emerging divisions and coup plots.
“I met with my friend, Senator Edwin Sifuna, the Secretary General of the ODM Party, this morning. He remains a sober and principled voice, embodying the democratic ideals we believe in as a party,” he wrote on his X handle.
Recently, a section of ODM legislators who were alarmed by self-cannibalism in the party requested Oburu to convene an urgent party meeting to contain the self-destructive situation.
The MPs, led by ODM Vice National Chairman Dr Otiende Amolo, said the wrangles in the party were worrying and a betrayal of the founder party leader, the late Raila Odinga.
They said ODM was the largest party in the country and were concerned by the spectacle of self-cannibalisation that has been exhibited of late in the party.
“It is testament to how much we miss the wisdom and iconic leadership of our departed Rt Hon Raila Odinga that divisive rhetoric has taken over our politics, without restraint,” read the statement.
The statement, signed by Dr Otiende Amolo, Millie Odhiambo, MP Suba North, Tom Odege, MP Nyatike, Catherine Muma, Nominated MP, Dr John Ariko, MP Turkana South, Martin Owino, MP Ndhiwa, and Aduma Owuor, MP Nyakach, called for the convening of party organs to address the situation.
“It is for this reason that we request our party leader, Dr Oburu Odinga, to move with speed, convene the party’s organs and help restore public confidence in the party, before we begin to haemorrhage members to insignificant political formations,” they wrote.
They sounded the alarm that as the party continued in a self-destructive mode, some parties were cashing in on the opportunity to endear themselves to the electorate.
“Even as we appear to self-cannibalise, we can’t help but curiously observe that small parties are aggressively and strategically moving to occupy the spaces previously held by our beloved ODM party,” they said.
The reaction comes hot on the heels of a plot by a section of ODM leaders allied to National Chairperson Gladys Wanga and Director of Elections Junet Mohammed, who planned to kick out Secretary General Edwin Sifuna from the party.
Sifuna, at the weekend, dismissed any attempts to kick him out of the party, saying they had no capacity to eject him from the party.
Sifuna said the plot to remove him from the party was a result of his opposition to a move by a section of party officials and members to support President William Ruto for a second term.
Senator Ledama Ole Kina asked Sifuna to ship out and wrote on his X handle, “If you want to leave the ODM Party, go ahead—no one is stopping you. Don’t wait to be kicked out, because that’s exactly what will happen soon. Enough with empty threats—this noise is getting out of hand,”
