By Billy Mijungu
The ODM fraternity is demanding newness, freshness, and youthfulness. Yet, the cartels of the Baba era believe they are stronger without them. This contradiction sits at the heart of ODM’s current crisis.
Public spats over whether Baba lost or won, whether the election was rigged or fair, serve no constructive purpose. Instead, they aid the very forces ODM claims it wants out. These fights are driven not by popularity or merit, but by jealousy, insecurity, and fear of political renewal.
Rather than consolidating and strengthening itself, ODM appears to be walking down a winding road of arrogance and self-deception. There is a dangerous belief that the party will win simply because it has always won. Politics does not work that way anymore. Times change, voters evolve, and parties that fail to adapt eventually decline.
UDA is already positioning itself to dominate ODM strongholds like never before. The Deputy President slot will firmly remain with UDA, and unless ODM rethinks its strategy, it risks being buried politically by 2032.
ODM does not need to rush into formal partnerships with either the ruling party or the opposition. What it needs most at this moment is internal strength, clarity of purpose, and disciplined renewal. One key advantage ODM still has is the absence of open conflict at the apex of the party. That stability should be protected, not destroyed by endless internal sabotage.
The party must deliberately elevate credible, vocal, and youthful leaders such as Edwin Sifuna and Babu Owino. These are leaders who resonate with the current political moment, speak the language of a younger electorate, and can carry ODM’s message beyond nostalgia. Silencing or sidelining them only weakens the party further.
Raila Odinga’s enduring legacy can only be ODM. If the party fails to renew itself, it risks dying the way Ford Kenya did: remembered for its past glory but irrelevant in the present. ODM must choose whether it wants to be a living movement or a historical reference.
Kenya deserves a strong partys, and ODM must decide whether it still wants to be that force.
