Winnie Odinga to Oburu: This is my vision for a new ODM

Winnie Odinga, the lastborn daughter of the late Raila Odinga who had sided with the Edwin Sifuna-led faction in the battle for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), on Friday threw her weight behind her uncle, Dr Oburu Oginga, signalling a shift in politics and the latter’s consolidation of power in the party.

Ms Odinga used the opportunity to champion a “new ODM” that she said should be anchored on an aggressive youth recruitment plan, dialogue and reconciliation aimed at “bringing in, rather than throwing out”, in apparent reference to those seen as rebels by the Oburu-led group, as well as social justice, including fighting for victims of human rights abuses, the vulnerable and the poor.

In her address during the ODM Special National Delegates Convention (SNDC) held at Nairobi’s Jamhuri Grounds on Friday, Winnie struck a unifying tone, but her speech also signaled a major political shift within the party’s youthful ranks, pointing to a clear break from the camp associated with ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna.

“Nilisema juzi (I said the other day) ODM is my home. This is where I’m from,” Winnie told delegates, before seeking permission to read prepared remarks.

Read: Sifuna stays as ODM SG after tribunal ruling

Her declaration came at a time when ODM is undergoing a major internal realignment, following a high-stakes convention that ratified sweeping changes at the top of the party’s hierarchy.

Dr Oginga, the elder brother of the late Raila Odinga, was formally endorsed as ODM Party by the delegates.

At the same gathering, Governors Abdulswamad Nassir (Mombasa) and Simba Arati (Kisii) were endorsed as deputy party leaders, while Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi was kicked out of the leadership lineup, marking what some insiders described as a purge meant to eliminate dissent and consolidate control.

Winnie’s speech, delivered before a cheering crowd of delegates, appeared carefully crafted to fit into the new political mood within ODM — one increasingly defined by calls for unity, discipline and loyalty to the emerging Oburu-led structure.

Read: Stopping Winnie Odinga: Petition to end her quest for ODM leadership

“Today I stand before you not just as a proud life member of ODM but as a voice of the vibrant, hopeful and resilient young Kenyans who’ve come from this country,” she said.

“It is not lost upon me that today I may be one of the youngest people that stands on this stage, but I carry this responsibility of their dreams and their aspirations.”

Her remarks landed in the middle of simmering internal tensions, particularly between a faction aligned to Mr Sifuna and a Dr Oginga.

Mr Sifuna, has in recent months emerged as one of the party’s most outspoken voices against the Kenya Kwanza administration.

But Winnie, appeared to align herself with a message focused less on internal party fights and more on re-connecting ODM with grassroots voters.

“What I wanted us to bring back into context is the values of this party. The values that created the foundations of this party… that we built 20 years ago,” she said, referring to ODM’s long struggle as a reform movement.

Read: Ruto, Oburu push to lure Winnie Odinga as Jaramogi clan meets, again

“Those are the values of our forefathers.”

She warned that ODM risked losing touch with its base, saying the party must never forget the ordinary Kenyans who look to it for hope.

“When I was coming here today, I decided to do something because I feel as a party we may be leaving some of our members behind,” she said, before reading messages she said she had received from citizens through social media.

She insisted that ODM’s future must be anchored on the people.

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