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Winnie Odinga
Caption for the landscape image:

Why Winnie Odinga will wait longer for ODM leadership quest

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Winnie Odinga addresses a political rally at Kamukunji grounds in Kibera, Nairobi County on January 18, 2026.

Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group

The Nairobi branch of the ODM party recently proposed the appointment of East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) MP Winnie Odinga to the party’s decision-making body. 

However, this resolution will not be included in the National Delegates Convention (NDC) agenda next week.

This is according to the party's national chairperson and Homa Bay governor, Gladys Wanga, and Suna East MP, Junet Mohamed.

Briefing the media on preparations for the NDC, which is set for March 27, Governor Wanga said while the Nairobi delegates' initiative is welcome, the issue will not be addressed so soon.

At the same time, Mr Mohamed said although the matter was of interest to party members, there would be an opportunity to address before the end of the year, when the party holds its ordinary NDC.

“It will not be there; it is no part of the agenda. It has to wait for an ordinary NDC. In ODM’s constitution, there is a special NDC and the ordinary NDC,” Mr Mohamed said.

The MP, who is the party’s Director of Elections, said the upcoming NDC has been designated as a special event because it will focus on a specific agenda.

Winnie Odinga

Eala MP Winnie Odinga (center) during the ODM Nairobi County delegates and officials meeting at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation in Upper Hill, Nairobi, on March 17, 2026.


Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group

This means that the agenda of the day will be to ratify the decisions which were previously made by the National Executive Council (NEC), and the National Governing Council.

Part of the NEC decision was to kick out Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna as Secretary General, and to start negotiations with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and other parties for pre-election coalition ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Governor Wanga welcomed also Ms Odinga’s expression of her willingness to work with party leader Dr Oburu Oginga.

“We are yet to receive any formal communication of the resolution. Once received, they will be dealt with by the relevant party organs,” Ms Wanga said.

Early this week, Makadara MP and ODM Nairobi branch George Aladwa led Nairobi delegates in endorsing Ms Odinga as one of the delegates from the county, and proposed her to be appointed as one of the party’s deputy leaders in the NDC.

While responding to the utterances made by Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, who is also one of the three deputy party leaders, that the party is planning to oust him, Mr Aladwa said such decisions might only feature in the ordinary NDC.

Following the death of ODM leader Raila Odinga in October 2025, Senator Osotsi, Kisii Governor Simba Arati and his Mombasa counterpart Abdulswamad Sharif Nassir were nominated as deputy party leaders in acting capacities. Their positions are also part of the NDC agenda.

“We will ratify him (Osotsi) as the deputy party leader even if he will not be there because removal is also a process. If you want to remove him, there is a process that should be used. The agenda of removing him is not there,” Mr Mohamed said.

Senator Osotsi is one of the rebel ODM legislators who are on the Linda Mwananchi faction together with Senator Sifuna and Siaya Governor James Orengo.

Meanwhile, the Sifuna-led faction has announced that it will not take part in the planned NDC, but will instead hold a parallel people’s NDC in Nairobi.

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