Tuesday, December 30,
2025 - Siaya Governor, James Orengo, has sounded an alarm over what he
termed as a deliberate attempt to shrink the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)
into a regional party following the death of its longtime leader, Raila Odinga.
Speaking on Monday, December 29th, Orengo alleged
that some individuals within the party were pushing ODM to become a Luo-only
outfit, noting that members from other regions had remained largely silent amid
the ongoing wrangles.
“I see an attempt to try and drive ODM to become purely a
Luo party.”
“The elements of the party from other regions are fairly
quiet when we have these wars within the party,” Orengo said.
He cautioned that if ODM were to align with the ruling
United Democratic Alliance (UDA), the party risked losing its national appeal.
“When you do analysis, if we choose to work with Kenya
Kwanza or UDA, most likely ODM is going to be a small party.”
“It will be pushed back to Luo Nyanza basically, and we must
be very conscious of that effort,” he warned.
Orengo urged ODM leaders to dedicate the next 10 to 12
months to strengthening the party nationally before engaging in coalition
talks.
“We have about 10 or 12 months which we can spend in
building ODM as a national party, rip from the legacy of Raila Odinga, and
thereafter talk about coalitions,” he added.
His remarks came a day after Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad
Nassir called on ODM to consider a pre-election coalition with UDA ahead of the
2027 General Elections.
Nassir, who serves as ODM Deputy Party Leader, argued that
leadership requires pragmatic choices informed by political realities,
stressing that ODM must prioritize strategy over slogans to safeguard its
interests.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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