By Anderson Ojwang
Emerging political circumstances and the changing political climate within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) may force the daughter of the party’s founder and former leader, the late Raila Odinga, Winnie Odinga, to leave the outfit if she is left with no other option.
Winnie, an EALA MP, finds herself in a situation that bears similarities to the one her father faced 32 years ago following the death of her grandfather, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, in 1994.
Raila was instrumental in the building of Ford-Kenya after the repeal of Section 2A of the Constitution and became the party’s first Director of Elections. However, with his father serving as party chairman, Raila encountered roadblocks in his efforts to inherit the party’s leadership.
Winnie has been part of the development of ODM and has played a significant role in her father’s political journey, including managing his campaigns during the last three presidential elections.
Signs of Movement
In an interview with a Nigerian YouTube channel, Winnie hinted at a possible political move if the climate within the party becomes untenable.
She said Kenya was currently in a period of political realignment, with politicians changing alliances and parties ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“It’s a transfer window. People change teams. I believe it is a transfer window in Kenya. People will change team,” she said.
Referencing the events following the death of her grandfather and Raila’s subsequent political decisions, Winnie remained open to the possibility of making a similar choice.
“When my grandfather Jaramogi Oginga Odinga died, he was the leader of Ford-Kenya. After he died, he moved around with the people of his age, and a lot of those people had a lot of trouble with my father because he was younger and he had different ideas,” she said.
Parallels Between Ford-K and ODM
After the death of Jaramogi, a power struggle broke out in Ford-Kenya, initially over the position of party vice-chairman, which Ugenya MP James Orengo won ahead of Raila.
Raila then turned his attention to the party’s national chairmanship, a position held by the late Wamalwa Kijana.
Orengo and most of the MPs supported Wamalwa against Raila, who subsequently resigned from the party and sought re-election on the now-defunct National Development Party (NDP) ticket. He overwhelmingly recaptured the Langata parliamentary seat against Kanu’s Fred Amayo.
The political circumstances facing ODM following Raila’s death have drawn comparisons with that period.
Winnie said a new team should be instituted to continue managing the broad-based arrangement between President William Ruto and ODM after her uncle, Dr Oburu Oginga, became the acting party leader.
“There is something I wanted to tell you. When it came to the matter of broad-based government, the people of ODM entrusted one person with the management of that relationship. That person was Baba Raila Amolo Odinga.
“That relationship is complicated and therefore we are looking and we are wondering, those who are taking upon themselves to manage it now, are they capable of managing that relationship?
“I don’t think that is the question for me to answer. That is the question for the people of ODM to answer. That is why, as the party leader, I am requesting, we need to go back to the people and have an NDC to see who the people want to pick to manage that same relationship,” she said.
SNDC
Attempts to have Winnie installed as a deputy party leader following a proposal by the Nairobi branch went unfulfilled during last year’s Special National Delegates Conference (SNDC).
ODM Deputy Party Leader Abdulsamad Nassir had said there was a possibility of Winnie being considered for one of the deputy party leader positions.
He said the proposal had been made by the Nairobi branch and could be considered by the SNDC after the position of party leader was ratified by delegates.
“Winnie qualifies to be deputy party leader. There is a proposition which has been made by delegates in Nairobi. In this SNDC, the agenda has been published, but in the same way we got into office, a proposal can come in to make her deputy party leader and the proposal can be considered once our party leader has been ratified.
“It is something that can definitely be discussed. She has a future. I said this at Raila Odinga’s funeral,” he said.
However, ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga said Winnie qualified for the position, but the SNDC had been convened specifically to ratify party officials. She said the party would hold an ordinary NDC at the end of the five-year period.
Makadara MP George Aladwa said consultations over the previous two months had culminated in the decision to front Winnie.
“We have had several meetings in the last two months to look for a representative. Every region has representation in the party. Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga left us with no representative in the Nairobi region,” Aladwa said.
Winnie had earlier insisted that Nairobi deserved representation at the SNDC because of its contribution to the party and maintained that ODM remained her political home.
“ODM is our home. ODM is the party my father built. Why should I leave and go where? I will remain in ODM. In this journey, it has not been easy.
“We still have a place to go and the party position should be considered for those people who have put their lives in the struggle. It is in Nairobi where we demonstrate and not the villages.
“There are no demos in the villages. You cannot deny Nairobi its right. Nairobi must have a seat on March 27th. Nairobi will have our day and say,” she said.
The Movement
In the interview, Winnie said her father could not compromise his beliefs for political convenience and eventually chose to move on.
“He just moved differently. He wanted everything to remain, but he wrote in his book, if the time comes whether I will pick political convenience or the comfort of convenience over what I stand for and I believe in…” she said.
Winnie said that if faced with a similar situation, she would choose her convictions over comfort and convenience, even if that meant walking alone.
“If the time comes whether I will pick political convenience or the comfort of convenience over what I stand for and I believe in, I will always pick the latter. And if that means I will walk alone, then I will walk alone,” she said.
History Repeating?
Winnie said the current political situation could be repeating history and that she would not ignore the will of the people she represents.
“I feel that a similar situation may be happening and mimicking too. As much as I love this thing my father built, I have been part of building it.
“I understand, and I want this thing to have life. I cannot ignore the will of the people that I represent. They still have anger; they still have frustrations,” she said.
Winnie said her political decision would ultimately be influenced by the feelings and aspirations of the people she seeks to represent.
“The decision is, I have to be able to capture the feelings of the people I want to represent adequately,” she said.
ODM Shift
Winnie said that if ODM refuses to listen to the people, she may have no option but to move out.
“If this vehicle is hell-bent on opposing the feelings of what they want, then I am left with no option.
“I will stand with the right I believe in and will not compromise. I will not compromise them for convenience or comfort,” she said.
For Raila’s party, the emerging question is whether Winnie Odinga will remain within ODM and fight for the direction she believes the party should take, or whether she could eventually follow the path her father took three decades ago and seek a new political home.
Could history be repeating itself — this time with Raila’s daughter?
