East African Legislative Assembly MP Winnie Odinga was on Saturday symbolically crowned by a section of Luo elders as the political heir of her late father Raila Odinga, in a ceremony that could mark a defining moment in the battle over his political succession.
The ceremony took place during a memorial service for elders and veterans at Opoda Farm in Bondo, Siaya County, where elders invoked tradition to urge Ms Odinga to step into a bigger political role.
Her mother, Ida Odinga, elder sister Rosemary Odinga, members of the Luo Council of Elders and the wider Odinga family attended the event. However, her brother Raila Odinga Junior was absent, with his mother saying he had been held up elsewhere.
“The leaders have said that the world out there is yearning for you and they do not know what the future holds for you. This is why today we coronate you to go and fight out there and take over from your father. Nya Bondo , you are the one now we look up to,” said Rose Otumba, the Siaya Luo Council of Elders women’s representative.
Ms Otumba then placed a traditional hat on Winnie’s head, symbolically crowning her as her father’s political heir.
Winnie Odinga during her anointing by Rose Otumba, Women Representative of the Luo Council of Elders in Siaya, in Bondo, Siaya County, on October 3, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
The ceremony was followed by the traditional Sigweya chant led by Jotham Ajiki, the organising secretary of the Luo Council of Elders, before the gathering broke into song and dance.
“Nya Kawuor (daughter of Kawuor) is capable and fit for leadership. Let me see by the show of hands those who are in support,” Mr Ajiki said, drawing an affirmative response from the crowd.
The symbolism was unmistakable. At the heart of the Odinga family home, elders were publicly backing Winnie for a bigger role in the political movement her father led for decades as the question of who inherits his influence continues to shape the post-Raila era.
Young people at the event also urged her to take up the mantle, arguing that the party needed younger leadership to inject fresh energy into its ranks.
“Ida, please release Winnie for us so that she can lead us in this party. We know that Oburu is leading the party at the moment but his age is also fading, give us Winnie who is still very young and energetic to lead the party,” said Daisy Okello Achieng, president of the student association at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology.
The public endorsement adds to the political momentum Winnie has been building. In March, Orange Democratic Movement delegates in Nairobi endorsed her for the position of deputy party leader, citing the need to fill a leadership gap in the capital.
Mama Ida Odinga (centre), flank by her daughters Resemary Odinga (left) and Winnie Odinga (right) speaks during the crowning of Winnie by the Luo Council of Elders in Bondo, Siaya County, on October 3, 2026.
The endorsement, backed by representatives from all 17 constituencies in Nairobi, followed calls for more equitable regional representation in the party’s top leadership. Makadara MP George Aladwa argued that Raila’s death had left the region without representation at that level.
Saturday’s ceremony also brought into focus the distinction between Winnie’s emerging political role and that of her elder brother Junior.
In October last year, Raila Junior formally assumed leadership of the Odinga household during a traditional ceremony at the family’s Bondo residence. The event led by his uncle Dr Oburu Oginga marked the transfer of family authority and responsibility following Raila’s burial.
Dr Oburu at the time said the ceremony was a customary handover of domestic leadership and blessings, not a political succession event.
Junior has since become more visible in politics declaring his candidature for the Kibra parliamentary seat with his mother’s backing.
Winnie’s own political journey has unfolded against the backdrop of her father’s legacy and the uncertainty over ODM’s future leadership. Her mother described her as a post detention child, born after Raila was released from detention and said she had named her after South African anti-apartheid activist Winnie Mandela.
“I named her Winnie after Winnie Mandela. Give your children meaningful names that they can relate with in future. You can see how Winnie is courageous and a fighter. What you have told me, I have heard and I shall do,” Mama Ida said before inviting her daughters to speak.
Rosemary said her time to speak would come in future, adding that for now her role was to offer support.
Winnie Odinga during her anointing by Rose Otumba, Women Representative of the Luo Council of Elders in Siaya, in Bondo, Siaya County, on October 3, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
Later in the evening, Winnie attended a concert organised by Coster Ojwang, the visual artist, musician and curator behind the Fisherman’s Experience. She became emotional when she was invited onto the stage and the crowd paid tribute to her father.
Mzee Tobias Olang’o Nyabola, another elder who was close to Raila, urged Winnie and Rosemary to summon the courage their father had displayed throughout his political life.
When Winnie finally rose to speak after the other speakers, she was given a podium branded with the letter “R”, while the others had addressed the gathering using a handheld microphone.
She said she had deliberately kept away from public political engagement as she mourned her father, whose death had left many of his supporters struggling to come to terms with the loss.
“Many people were asking where Winnie left, but I decided to take some time to mourn Jakom. I saw Raila’s soldiers sad when he died and didn’t want to fight any longer and that is why I was silent for a year to grieve, but now that time is over and now it’s time to move forward,” she said.
Her remarks appeared to signal the end of her period of mourning and the beginning of a more active political chapter.
She nevertheless cautioned against forcing the question of succession, acknowledging that titles and leadership could not simply be seized by force.
