By Anderson Ojwang
President William Ruto may have pulled a political masterstroke by luring the former Prime Minister, the late Raila Odinga, into the broad-based alliance, but the move was a double-edged sword.
For President Ruto, it thawed the political climate and gave him the needed impetus to run the country, but it also opened wounds.
For President Ruto, with Raila as his anchor, he was assured of a second term with ease, but the demise complicated the matter.
But now Ruto is hard-pressed with the unfolding political climate in ODM and the country.
With Raila out of the equation, Ruto has inherited the ODM party with all Raila’s coat hangers.
Raila’s coat hangers
Raila for decades carried his political coat hangers who relied on him to win elections and appointments. Without Raila, they suffocate and perish.
The political coat hangers have been the main contributing factor in Raila’s failed presidential bid.
With a year to the August 10th 2027 general elections, Ruto could be walking to a reality check of having inherited Raila’s coat hangers and not actual movers in the party.
Gladys Wanga
Wanga rose to Parliament through a combined effort of the late Homa Bay Senator Otieno Kajwang’, former Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti, and former Deputy Governor Oyugi Magwanga, who blocked respected educationist Roseline Onyuka for Wanga in a delicate power arrangement against former Rangwe MP Philip Okundi’s lineup.
Magwanga again pushed Wanga for the Homa Bay County Chairperson position against a strong wave from Homa Bay MP Opondo Kaluma, who was supported by Governor Awiti.
In the 2022 General Elections, Raila had to prevail on Magwanga and other gubernatorial aspirants Isaiah Ogwe, Nicholas Koriko, John Mbadi, and Akelo Misori to award the ticket to Wanga.
Raila forced a Wanga-Magwanga ticket, and the duo finally ended the marriage early this year and will face one another at the ballot.
Former Nairobi Governor Dr Evans Kidero declined to bow to Raila and ran against Wanga in the election. Wanga won and became the first woman Governor from Western Kenya.
With the appointment of Mbadi as the Cabinet Secretary for Treasury, the lucky one also found herself becoming the party chairperson.
Currently, Wanga is facing a serious onslaught from Magwanga and Homa Bay residents over non-delivery. Similarly, she is being accused of sponsoring candidates in the region in order to become the kingpin.
In Wanga, President Ruto will find himself in a tight corner and may just lose the grassroots support.
Oburu Oginga
Oburu successfully won the by-election after the death of his father Jaramogi Oginga Odinga in 1992.
In 2013, Oburu lost the gubernatorial bid after the ODM party opted to give a direct ticket to Amoth Rasanga after Dr Oduol Denge was poised to win.
Oburu’s attempts to win the Siaya governorship came a cropper, and he had to be appointed to EALA.
In the 2017 general election, Oburu made a detour to contest for the Bondo Parliamentary seat, but he was humbled and vanquished at the party primaries.
Oburu lost the Bondo parliamentary nomination to Gideon Ochanda during the April 2017 ODM party primaries. Ochanda secured 28,446 votes while Oburu received 4,000 votes.
In 2022, he was a beneficiary of the power matrix that gave Orengo the governor seat, and he easily won the Siaya senatorial seat.
After Raila’s demise, Oburu assumed the party leader slot and has presided over the party’s downhill fall and the split.
Already Orengo and former Secretary Edwin Sifuna-led Linda Mwananchi are soaring high while the Oburu-led Linda Ground is disappearing into thin air.
Dr Oburu and Wanga are the representation of Raila’s coat hangers that Ruto inherited, stifling the wheelbarrow journey in the ODM strongholds.
The Ruto’s cabinet secretaries
The experts ODM seconded to President Ruto’s cabinet – namely John Mbadi and Opiyo Wandayi – have failed to initiate any meaningful development and empowerment of the people.
This explains why President Ruto told Mbadi and Wandayi to use their brains to develop the region.
Ruto made history in his cabinet appointment during the formation of the broad-based government by making Mbadi the first Treasury Cabinet Secretary from the community, 60 years after independence.
Wandayi became the Energy Minister, second after Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko, who was appointed during the NDP-Kanu cooperation.
But during the tour, President Ruto came face to face with harsh reality during his engagement with the residents who requested projects which could have been effectively handled by Mbadi and Wandayi.
“We previously had marginalisation. You remember some areas were marginalised and forgotten. I have told Opiyo Wandayi ‘tigi wiyi.’ I have told him ‘tigi wiyi.’ I told him to use his brain. The people of Migori, do you agree with that? There is no other administration which put Sh28 billion in one year for development in Migori. It is only the broad-based government,” he said.
In Kasipul, Ruto also told Mbadi to use his head after area MP Boyd Were had made requests for tarmacking of a 16km Sikri road.
Currently, Mbadi and Wandayi have been spearheading flopped women empowerment programmes in Nyanza which have received more backlash than appreciation.
Mbadi is already campaigning for his 2032 presidential bid but is losing grassroots support.
Orengo and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino are being viewed as the possible community leaders.
Game plan
For President Ruto, reliance on Raila’s coat hangers will be his Waterloo. For Ruto to secure the majority of Nyanza votes, he must reinvent himself and go directly to the electorate.
Interestingly, most of Raila’s coat hangers may be counting their days ahead of the August 10th 2027 elections.
With the emerging political wave in the country, Ruto must double his political strategy for Nyanza.
