NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 27 – Winnie Odinga has raised serious allegations of intimidation within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), claiming that party members are being de-whipped and pressured for publicly showing support for her.
Winnie said on Citizen TV that the party has reached a point where members are being asked to formally declare their loyalty to the current regime, with rewards or consequences tied to their responses.
“People are being intimidated in ODM. People are being de-whipped simply for showing up on that stage with me,” she said. “We have reached a situation where you are being told to fill out forms on whether you support the regime of the day. If you do, you will be given TSC slots; if you don’t, God knows what happens to you.”
She made remarks as she reflected on Raila’s final months, saying that it had tested the family both personally and politically, adding that the loss had drawn the family closer.
“I’m doing as best as I can. It’s quite difficult living in a world without him, but I take it day by day. Some days I’m on a hill, other days I’m in a valley, but if I make it to a plateau I’m doing all right,” Winnie stated.
“We soldier on. I have a good support system, and my family is close together. We are supporting each other. Everyone in the family is settling into their new responsibilities. This has brought us together, and we are all trying our best.”
Winnie declined to disclose details of her final conversations with Raila, saying the exchanges were deeply personal.
She reflected on her political journey alongside Raila, Winnie noted their long working relationship.
“They were deeply personal, and I feel it would be disrespectful of me to share those conversations. Not every conversation we had was for public consumption,” she said.
“There are very many people who may now say that the party leader may have said this and that. I feel it is not incumbent on them to bring that to the forefront. I think it is disrespectful to the departed. For the last 15 years, I have worked at his side, no matter the dispensation. We were similar in a lot of ways, but in a lot of ways we were different. We used to challenge each other, we used to test each other and push each other,” she said.
