NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 7 – Mama Ida Odinga, the widow of ODM founder, the late Raila Odinga, has called on wrangling party factions to embrace dialogue in a bid to avert a simmering split.
Speaking during a meeting with Nairobi parliamentarians, Ida expressed concern that the ongoing mudslinging among top party leaders risks tarnishing the 20-year history of ODM as a people-centred party.
She further noted that her late husband never shied away from seeking opportunities to sit down with perceived adversaries for the betterment of society.
“It is my wish that we can preserve the party in his honour as a matter of service to our country,” Mama Ida said.
She reminded the squabbling leaders that they would be failing Raila Odinga, who entrusted ODM to their leadership.
“I want to end by appealing to those Baba left in the leadership of the party to reflect deeply and sincerely on his dreams for the party and for our country.”
“Let us solve the problems of the party by always asking ourselves: what would Baba do under these circumstances? Your guess is as good as mine. I am sure Baba would tell us, let us sit down and talk. That is my wish — to sit down and talk about our differences,” she added.
ODM has recently been rocked by heated intra-party divisions over whether the Orange outfit should back President William Ruto’s re-election bid in 2027.
The disagreement has degenerated into name-calling and harsh accusations over who is to blame for Raila Odinga’s unsuccessful presidential bid.
An attempt to eject Secretary General Edwin Sifuna was paused yesterday after Migori Senator Eddy Aketch opted to give dialogue a chance.
Sifuna, who has served in the position since 2014, has been accused of misrepresenting the party, particularly due to his insistence that ODM should not back out of fielding a presidential candidate to challenge President Ruto.
Another point of contention is his claim that the Ruto administration is not fulfilling the 10-point Broad-Based Agreement.
