NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 22 – National Assembly Minority Leader and Suna East MP Junet Mohammed has made explosive claims that Raila Odinga could have won the 2017 presidential election had powerful figures within government fully supported his bid.
Speaking during an interview, Junet said some senior state officials privately told him that Raila would lose against then Deputy President William Ruto, even as ODM and Azimio leaders publicly campaigned on a platform of regime change.
“There are very senior people who were in government who told me, to my face, that in a contest between Raila and Ruto, Raila would lose. If they wanted Baba to be president, he would have been president. I can tell you that,” Junet said.
Junet claimed the opposition went into the election carrying what he described as ‘government baggage’ following the 2018 handshake, which, in his view, weakened the political will among key state actors to aggressively safeguard the vote.
He explained that some people who were expected to defend the vote appeared indifferent to the final outcome.
“We should have run that election without associating ourselves with the government the way we did. It was baggage that we carried,” Junet said.
Junet said the lack of urgency among powerful players was telling when he was pressed on whether he believed Raila was deliberately denied victory
“They didn’t care enough. If they wanted us to win, we would have won, which is really sad,” he said.
Junet stopped short of naming the officials he accused, saying he would reveal details in a future book, but maintained that the truth about what happened in 2017 would eventually come out.
“The story must come out one day. I don’t want to pre-empt the book I want to write,” he said.
Despite the claims, Junet declined to directly accuse former President Uhuru Kenyatta, saying he preferred to ‘let bygones be bygones’ and focus on current political realities.
“Let them not distract us from where we want to go now. We can’t afford two distractions the last election and the next election,” he said.
Junet contrasted the 2017 experience with the current political environment under President William Ruto, noting that ODM leaders now hold senior government positions under the broad-based arrangement, unlike in the past when the party remained entirely outside government.
“At least now, our deputy party leaders are in government, the chairman is in Cabinet, former minority leaders are ministers. That time we didn’t even have a minister for toilet for five years,” he said.
The Minority Leader also claimed that confusion and indecision persisted even after voting, alleging that senior officials contacted him seeking advice despite having full access to state machinery.
“One powerful man called me after the election and asked what we should do, yet he had everything at his disposal. I am a small man in Parliament. What could I do?” Junet said.
Junet downplayed reports of a growing rift between him and ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna, terming their public exchanges a mere divergence of opinion that does not threaten unity within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
The Suna East MP said the differences between senior party figures should not be mistaken for personal hostility or factional warfare.
“No, nothing serious. It’s a divergence of opinion. He believes that way, I believe in this way. Nothing personal,” Junet said.
The MP insisted that internal debate remains part of democratic party culture, but maintained that individual views must ultimately give way to collective decisions once party organs make a determination.
“The decision of the party will prevail in the end. We can have different opinions, you can say this way, I say that way. But when the party makes a decision, that’s what Baba taught us. We will all abide by it,” he said, referring to ODM party leader Raila Odinga.
The remarks come amid renewed debate within ODM over succession politics and the party’s long-term leadership direction, with some leaders drawing parallels with past splits in Kenya’s opposition movements.
However, Junet rejected comparisons with the 1990s fallout between Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Kenneth Matiba, arguing that the current political environment and constitutional framework leave little room for parallel power centres.
“That time they separated because Matiba wanted to run for president and Jaramogi was running for president. Now, who is running for president? Our Constitution is very clear. If we were to run someone, we could only run Oburu Odinga. He’s the presidential candidate because that’s what the Constitution says. So the rest are just giving opinions,” Junet said.
Junet also dismissed claims that ODM lost past elections due to internal betrayal, instead blaming voter behaviour in some regions for the late Raila Odinga’s defeat.
Despite the public exchanges, Junet maintained that ideological differences should not be mistaken for disloyalty, insisting that ODM remains intact and guided by collective decisions rather than individual ambitions.
“I didn’t take agents’ money. If Baba won the election, I would be a big man in this country. Baba lost the elections because people with surnames like yours didn’t vote for him,” he said.
Earlier this Sifuna launched a blistering attack on Junet, accusing him of hypocrisy and misusing funds donated by Uhuru to support Raila’s campaign.
In a fiery address, Sifuna reminded ODM supporters that Raila recorded his strongest-ever performance in the Mt. Kenya region in 2022, garnering over one million votes; a feat he attributed in large part to Uhuru’s backing.
Sifuna openly thanked the former President for bankrolling the campaign, saying much of the money ODM used came directly from Uhuru.
He directly accused Junet of now pretending that Uhuru’s money was “dirty”, despite having benefited from it at the time.
Sifuna went ahead to accuse Junet of pocketing campaign funds instead of paying agents, leading to Raila’s defeat in key battlegrounds.
He alleged that agents were abandoned on election day, allowing rivals to sal to victory, and went as far as to claim that but for Junet’s actions, ODM would be in government today.
