ODM’s internal question over who should take charge of its dealings with President William Ruto’s government resurfaced sharply on Saturday after Winnie Odinga pressed for a National Delegates Conference to make the final call.
Addressing party supporters during the ODM at 20 event in Mombasa, she said the party could not continue relying on leaders who had taken it upon themselves to manage the broad-based pact without clear authority from members.
Winnie warned that ODM needed a firm and transparent process to decide who should steer the party’s engagement with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
She said the shift in leadership after Raila Odinga’s passing meant that ODM must now return to its structures and allow delegates to choose the person who will handle the sensitive political relationship.
She reminded the gathering that Raila had always been the anchor in managing that link.
“When it came to the matter of broad-based government, the people of ODM trusted one person to manage that complicated relationship; that person is Baba Raila Odinga,” she stated.
Winnie stressed that some of the leaders currently speaking on behalf of ODM were not in a position to manage such a delicate political arrangement.
According to her, the broad-based deal requires someone with both the trust of the members and the ability to negotiate at the highest level.
“That relationship is complicated, and the people taking upon themselves to manage it now, are they capable of managing that relationship? That is a question for the people to answer. It is why I am requesting we go back to the people and see who the people will pick to handle that relationship,” she stated.
“We need to go back to the people and have NDC and see who the people want to pick to manage that relationship,” she stated.
Her push comes at a time when senior ODM figures are positioning themselves for leadership roles. Among them is Oburu Oginga, who, days earlier, defended his political experience during an outreach meeting in Mombasa on November 1, 2025.
He said he has served long enough to guide ODM at a time when the party is adjusting to life without Raila.
“I have enough experience to lead. I have been a leader for this nation for many years. I began as a councilor in 1974 in Kisumu, as an elected one. I have been elected in Bondo four times, nominated once, and served in the EALA. I am now serving my seventh term in the Kenyan parliament. So I believe I have the experience to lead,” he stated.
The two positions now frame ODM’s internal contest: Winnie pushing for a delegates-driven decision and Oburu leaning on his long political record.
The party is expected to decide whether the future of its relationship with the Ruto administration will be shaped by internal consensus or by its top political figures.
