Orange Democratic Movement Chairperson Gladys Wanga, Party Leader Oburu Oginga (right) Deputy Leader Simba Arati, (left) and Uasin Gishu County Governor Jonathan Bii (centre), during a press conference at the county headquarters in Eldoret.
As the country moves closer to 2027, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has indicated plans for heightened political activities in readiness to ‘capture power’.
In an interview, ODM National Chairperson and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga said the party is set to roll out major political activities as part of its consolidation efforts to form the next government either as a coalition or a single entity.
The outfit that celebrated its 20th anniversary in November, a month after its founding party leader Raila Odinga died on October 15, said it will not make another gamble that could see it in the opposition benches.
Ms Wanga made the remarks even as she revisited the party’s darkest moments, highlighting instances when it came so close to capturing power that has remained elusive in four successive elections.
The chairperson listed alleged stolen victories, including in 2007, as some of the electoral injustices that the party formed in 2005 has endured.
She said the party has also been a victim of negative propaganda, saying their detractors have attempted to paint the outfit as violent over its history of street protests in the push for electoral reforms and social justice.
What would you consider as ODM’s major achievements?
One of our proudest moments is being able to midwife the 2010 constitution. ODM was critical in bringing to life the 2010 constitution, and with that constitution came very fundamental changes to our governance system.
Devolution has completely changed the architecture of this country; the governance architecture, how we distribute resources, moving resources from the centre to the very lowest places.
Places that never imagined they could have water. The new constitution also brought some fundamental issues like the right to health, the right to housing, and many socio-economic rights that we did not enjoy in the past. ODM has also promoted women leadership. We have also given space to young people who have risen to leadership positions. ODM has also increased the democratic space.
What has made the party survive all these years; most parties barely go beyond one election?
The one thing that has kept us strong and grounded is ideology. We believe in something. We believe in democracy. We believe in human rights, respect for human rights. So, these things that we believe in keep us going; speaking for the people, for the most vulnerable in society, and this is not cosmetic. We don't have these discussions just to be elected, but we have been consistent.
ODM leader Raila Odinga addresses his supporters at a roadside rally in Kondele, Kisumu County on October 25, 2021.
Our late leader Raila Odinga has also been consistent. He has been a unifying factor for the country. We have never seen our party as an election vehicle; we have never seen our party as something we used to get to power and then dump it and form something else.
Your critics say ODM has never wanted to form a government, that you have bungled some of the best chances of ascending to power. What do you say?
I think it's a very interesting way of looking at things and I think those must be our detractors. It is the interest and mission of every political party to capture power. What shows our intent to capture power is the number of MCAs, Governors and MPs that we win in these elections.
What has resulted in us winning elections but not being announced on many occasions is because of our broken electoral system. The electoral system is broken and controlled by a few. And you have seen the massive upheaval that has arisen after the stealing of these elections. I don't know any election that we have actually lost as a party. Look for example, at the 2017 election, it was nullified by the Supreme Court due to irregularities. When somebody says that you've never wanted to take power, that's mockery. In 2007 this country was burning. In 2017, the election was in fact even nullified. The truth of the matter is you'd rather have a bad government in a country than kill the country completely.
What is the future of ODM going into 2027?
We continue to consolidate our structures in the grassroots. We are putting ourselves together in preparations for 2027. We are preparing to capture power in 2027. You capture power either as a single party or a coalition of parties. For now, we have said we have a working relationship with Kenya Kwanza until 2027.
Your critics have associated ODM with violence, do you think that’s a fair characterisation?
I think political parties and movements like ODM attract everybody. ODM has also been an opposition party, which means that you don't have government machinery to restore peace at any given point. When a ruling party is having a meeting, for example, you will have heavy police deployment to keep peace and order, but when you find a party like ODM, there could be cases of disorderly behaviours because we don’t have police deployment to our functions. The Kasarani fiasco (men in black) that has continued to be cited for years was just one ODM function in many other successful events that ODM has held. ODM has been in the streets to push for various reforms, and the people who actually create the problem are the law enforcement officers. The other day when Gen Zs were protesting, the people who escalated issues were the police. In the protest side of it, we have contributed to the expansion of our democracy. If that is called violence, so be it. In terms of organising our party event, you have seen how we have made tremendous improvements. People pick one incident and want to brand you violent.
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