Following the death of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, many of his loyalists are expected to face uncertain political futures as battles for leadership within the ODM Party intensify, according to Policy and Political Analyst Odoyo Owidi.
Owidi says the contest to succeed Raila will pit self-made politicians against those who depended on the late ODM leader for endorsements.
“Somebody like Otiende Amolo (Rarieda MP), I think he's not been hand lifted so much. There are many times he had really to fight his way through,” Owidi told Radio Generation on Tuesday.
“In the initial list of the Young Turks that came in in 2013, we had Opiyo Wandayi (Energy CS), Ken Obura (Former Kisumu Central MP), and a few others. Ababu Namwamba was also in that team, but they were scuttled,” he added.
Owidi said that among those eyeing the top seat in ODM, individuals who relied heavily on Raila’s influence for their success should not be considered.
“The people who owe their election initially and subsequent ones to Raila Odinga, I don't think they should be on that list in that way,” he said.
With Raila now gone, Owidi believes some of his most vocal loyalists will struggle to remain politically relevant.
“Such a person, in the absence of Raila, who will tell him what to do or how to do it? Because they used to say, wherever Raila goes, they go. What will they do now that he is not there?” he posed.
“So they are going to find themselves in very unfamiliar territories.”
Other analysts, including Herman Manyora and constitutional lawyer Charles Nyachae, agree that Odinga’s death has created a major vacuum in Kenya’s leadership, both within ODM and across the wider political spectrum.
Speaking during an interview on Radio Generation on Thursday, October 16, 2025, Manyora said Odinga’s passing represents more than the loss of a political figure; it marks the end of an era and the beginning of a complex transition in Kenya’s democracy.
“A tree this big, when it falls, will cause confusion among the birds and break smaller trees,” Manyora observed, describing the far-reaching consequences of Odinga’s death on Kenya’s political order.
Raila died in India on October 15, 2025, where he had been receiving treatment.
