By Habil Onyango
As discussions concerning zoning continue to heat up, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has insisted that the party will protect the seats they already have come the next general election.
According to the party’s National Chairperson Gladys Wanga, they will ensure that the party retains all the elective positions they currently have and adds more.
“As a party, we will protect the seats that we already have. We will protect the parliamentary and even the Members of the County Assemblies’ strength and ensure that we retain the number of MPs we currently have and get more, but not less than what we have today,” said Wanga.
A section of ODM elected leaders have taken a hardline on “zoning” with UDA as a cornerstone of pre-election negotiations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
They argue that in order to support William Ruto’s re-election, UDA should not field any of their candidates in regions currently held by ODM.
Further, they are demanding that in the agreement, the positions must be divided on a 50-50 basis, whereby they demand the Deputy President position if Ruto vies for the Presidency.
The proposed zoning is intended to prevent “friendly fire” between ODM and UDA candidates in ODM’s traditional bases, ensuring the party retains its influence.
Wanga has declared that the county and the broader Nyanza region are ODM zones and will not tolerate opposition, specifically warning against UDA infiltration.
Wanga insisted that any coalition agreement with UDA must include a clear zoning formula that guarantees ODM a fair and respectable number of seats in regions where it has strong support.
“ODM will not be a ‘junior affiliate’ to UDA, and we expect a 50-50 power-sharing structure where ODM controls its traditional strongholds,” she insisted.
The agenda, however, has been rejected by some UDA officials, promising that the party will field all its aspirants across the country for all elective positions.
Last week, President Ruto co-chaired the ODM Central Management Committee and UDA Steering Committee alongside Oburu at State House.
The team agreed to establish a Broad-Based Management Committee comprising party leadership, select Cabinet Secretaries, and Majority and Minority leaders in Parliament, tasked with handling legislative and executive agendas of government.
Call for unity in the party
Wanga, however, called for unity in the party, citing that for them to get “power,” the party needs numbers, urging supporters to take National Identification Cards and register as voters.
She said for equal negotiations with UDA, the party leaders and supporters must remain united, saying whoever wants to divide the party should be ignored.
The party is currently divided into two factions, with the Linda Ground team led by Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga as the party leader, while the Linda Mwananchi team is led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, his Siaya counterpart James Orengo, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, among other leaders.
The Linda Ground team supports the Broad-Based Government, while the Linda Mwananchi faction is opposed to the arrangement and President William Ruto’s leadership.
Speaking at Ngolo Primary School in Karachuonyo Constituency during a resource mobilization exercise, Wanga said that it took the late former party leader Raila Odinga to unite the Luo community, and they should remain united even in the times of his death.
She hit out at Orengo, saying his efforts to divide the Luo community are not new but started even during the tenure of the late Ford Kenya leader Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
“There was a time when Jaramogi died, the Luo community was almost being divided, and those who were against him are now back to destabilize our party by opposing Oburu’s leadership, now that Raila is dead,” she said.
Orengo has alleged that Oburu was not elected as the party leader according to the party constitution and has even been endorsed by the leaders associated with the Linda Ground faction as the ODM party leader in a charged rally in Luanda, Vihiga County, on Saturday, April 25, 2025.
However, according to Wanga, Oburu was endorsed by NEC, and the matter was taken to the Central Committee and finally to the National Delegates Convention, where over 10,000 approved his nomination.
“If all those processes were followed, as a renowned lawyer and an elder who should be uniting the younger generation and the community, he still goes out to divide them. What a shame,” she said.
