By Anderson Ojwang

Siaya Governor James Orengo has taken his battle over the control of the Orange Democratic Movement by declaring himself as the acting party leader.

The declaration was meant to unsettle Siaya Senator Dr Oburu Oginga, who was recently confirmed as the party leader during the Special Delegates Conference held in Nairobi.

However, during the SDC, Oburu was only provided with the walking stick and the constitution of the party and the country as the instruments of power.

But conspicuously missing was the party registration certificate, the single most important document that defines party control and authority.

Former judge Justice Stewart Madzayo, who presided over the transition, said: “I, Stewart Madzayo, today I give the instruments of power. Inside the bag are Kenya’s constitution and the ODM constitution. We give this to Dr Oburu a walking stick to mark a new reign as our leader.”

Orengo, speaking in Nakuru during the Linda Mwananchi rally, claimed that he had ousted Oburu from the seat for failing to steer the party forward and adequately prepare for the 2027 general election.

“We know the Secretary General of ODM is Edwin Sifuna, and because Oburu is unable, now Orengo is the acting party leader of ODM. Thank you,” he said.

But ODM Director of Elections dismissed Orengo’s claims that he was the acting party leader of ODM as a figment of imagination.

“I have heard Orengo say he is party leader. Which party is that? Dr Oburu Oginga is the party leader of ODM. We are in broad-based government. We cannot leave it. We cannot follow Orengo in demos,” he said.

Junet said when the leader of Ford-K, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, died, Orengo wanted to be the party’s leader.

“Our leader is Oburu Oginga. We know where we are going, and our party is ODM, and we are in broad-based government,” he said.

Genesis of the battle

Orengo has dominated and monopolized his political battles with the Siaya Senator, edging him out to the periphery.

Orengo and Oburu first clashed over the ODM ticket for the Siaya senatorial seat, where he managed to isolate Oburu from the MPs from Siaya County.

In the 2013 elections, after the promulgation of the 2010 constitution which created the Senate seat, Orengo and Oburu engaged in a fierce contest over the seat.

Orengo expressed interest in the seat while Oburu also wanted to become the first senator for Siaya County.

In the contest, Orengo had the support of Siaya MPs led by the late Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo, and Oburu was left exposed and a lonely man in the battle.

Midiwo then said that leaders from Siaya County would not support then Finance Assistant Minister Oburu Oginga’s quest for the county’s Senate seat.

“All elective positions in the county will be distributed based on equity and not greed of a clique of some politicians,” said Midiwo.

Oburu never forgave Jakoyo for forsaking him despite being his maternal cousin, and in the 2017 general elections, he fronted the current MP Elisha Odhiambo against the incumbent.

With the support of Jakoyo and other MPs, Oburu was forced to swallow humble pie and declared interest in the gubernatorial seat.

But at the ODM primaries, Oburu found that the current Siaya Deputy Governor Dr William Oduol had entrenched himself and won the disputed nomination.

The ODM party leadership opted to give the ticket to little-known Amoth Rasanga, who won the election, while Oburu was nominated to EALA.

The 2013 loss pushed Oburu to the political periphery, with Orengo becoming one of the key advisors of the late ODM party leader Raila Amolo Odinga.

Linda Ground versus Linda Mwananchi

For several decades, Oburu has been playing second fiddle to his younger brother, the late Raila Amolo Odinga, and only gained prominence after his elevation following Raila’s death.

But Oburu’s elevation has not been rosy, with Orengo appearing once again to challenge his leadership. Orengo is currently a principal of the Linda Mwananchi faction.

Orengo’s Linda Mwananchi wing is opposed to the pre-election coalition pact with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

Oburu leads the Linda Ground faction, and recently during the SDC, Oburu was mandated to engage with President Ruto over the coalition.

Linda Mwananchi is growing from strength to strength while Linda Ground wobbles and faces internal disagreement over political zoning.

Recently, Oburu accused Orengo of trying to lead the community away from the broad-based government for his own political gain.

The political struggle

Orengo has dismissed Oburu as one who has never been at the forefront of political struggle and that is why Raila became the heir to the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.

“Oburu has never been on the political front, never tasted teargas, and is not capable of leading ODM,” he said.

He said despite Oburu being born into a political family, he is mostly in the background, and this is why he has been on the periphery.

“Oburu was born in a political family. Most of his father’s life he was in the political background. He never tasted teargas. He has never been inside a police station. It was not by accident that Raila was the true heir. But he is a good man, but I think he cannot be able to lead the party in the right direction if he is being manipulated by characters in the party,” he said.

My shoes and a new chapter

Dr Oburu is steering the party through the transition and reorganizing the party despite the plots within Linda Ground and without to undermine his leadership.

“I have made my shoes, and I have started to walk. So I cannot fall. I want to tell you, 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.

The last battle

Oburu has the last opportunity to avenge Orengo’s constant political humiliation or perish altogether. This is the opportunity for Oburu to rewrite history, or Orengo’s dominance over him will continue.

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.