ODM Party Leader Oburu Oginga resurfaced on Friday after a two-week absence, assuring Kenyans that he was well.
His absence from key events, including the highly publicised Party retreat in Mombasa last weekend, had triggered speculation about his where about with rumours suggesting that he was unwell.
But Dr Oginga told the media on Friday that there was no cause for alarm, and that he had taken a break in order to focus on some personal matters.
He spoke in Kisumu at the Nyanza Golf Club, where he had gone to play golf and also meet supporters and friends.
ODM Party Leader Oburu Oginga at the Nyanza Golf Club in Kisumu.
Photo credit: Rushdie Oudia | Nation
“I did not disappear. I was not arrested. I was not tortured. I am up and about. I am well, I am ok and I was not out of the country,” he added.
Dr Oginga thanked Kenyans for their concern and said he had delegated his duties. He added that delegating duties to other party officials was a sign of good management. “You can’t take up everything yet you have people you have entrusted with the roles.”
He was scheduled to officially launch the Raila Odinga Hospital in Nyali’s Kongowea area last week, but he skipped the event where he was represented by Deputy Party Leader Abdulswamad Nassir, who is also the Mombasa Governor.
Dr Oginga added that with ODM’s well-established structures, its activities have continued to run smoothly despite his absence.
“In my absence, which party function has not been well-managed? The party is working well because it is an institution; a living being with structure. It functions seamlessly, as it should,” he said.
“We want to do a mixture of rallies and also engagements with different sections of the society, one of the most important ones being the youth,” he said.
ODM Party Leader Oburu Oginga at the Nyanza Golf Club in Kisumu.
Photo credit: Rushdie Oudia | Nation
“The NDC we will hold will give clear direction and indications as to [the party’s future]. If we are going to have any political arrangements with any party, it will be at that time that those arrangements will be put in place,” Dr Oginga said.
He said if there will be no agreement with any coalition, the party might decide to go it alone.
According to Dr Oginga, the party is organising itself ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“We are going to organise ourselves and strengthen our house. We are not looking for sideshows,” he added.
