Acting Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Dr. Oburu
Oginga on Monday made his first official visit to the party’s headquarters in
Lavington, Nairobi, since assuming leadership of the opposition party.
Dr. Oburu, who was accompanied by his sister and Kisumu
County Woman Representative Ruth Odinga, was received at Chungwa House by ODM
Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna and Executive Director Oduor Ong’wen.
Ruth Odinga, who also serves as the party’s Deputy
Organising Secretary, joined the brief meeting where Dr. Oburu familiarized
himself with his new office. In a statement posted on ODM’s official X account,
the party said:
“Ag. Party Leader @dr_oburuoginga visited Chungwa House this
morning. He had a feel of his new office and held a brief meeting with the SG
@edwinsifuna, ED @ongwen, and Dep. Org. Sec. @RuthOdinga42. Karibu Mhe. Dkt.
Oburu Oginga. #TukoTayari.”
After the visit, Dr. Oburu proceeded to a hotel in
Lavington, where he chaired a Central Management Committee (CMC) meeting.
Dr. Oburu was appointed Acting Party Leader on October 16,
2025, following the death of his brother and long-serving ODM leader Raila
Odinga, who passed away in India a day earlier.
During Monday’s meeting, the acting party leader was
expected to discuss ODM’s position on national matters in the post-Raila era
and preparations for the upcoming ODM@20 celebrations scheduled for Mombasa
next month.
The transition has stirred internal debate within ODM, with
differing views on the party’s future cooperation with President William Ruto
under the broad-based government framework.
Discussions about Dr. Oburu’s possible confirmation as
substantive party leader are also ongoing.
Some members have endorsed him, citing his experience,
seniority, and long association with the party. Others believe the Odinga
family remains central to ODM’s unity.
Makadara MP and ODM Nairobi branch chairman George Aladwa
said:
“It’s either Oburu, and if not him, Ida Odinga, or Raila
Junior or Winnie Odinga. The Odinga name must remain a unifying factor of our
party.”
Nyando MP Jared Okello added;
“Baba was the glue that held us together. Oburu, as an elder
and founding member, has the wisdom and experience to keep the party strong.
The ship will not capsize under his leadership.”
Dr. Oburu Oginga, the elder brother of the late ODM leader
Raila Odinga, has been a long-serving politician and key figure in Kenya’s
pro-democracy movement.
A veteran of multiparty politics, Oburu has held various
public offices, including serving as Assistant Minister for Finance and as
Kenya’s representative to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).
His appointment as acting ODM leader follows decades of
political involvement within the Odinga family, which has played a central role
in shaping Kenya’s opposition politics since the struggle for multiparty
democracy in the early 1990s.
