Kisumu County Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has accused Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi of attempting to “demonize the Odinga name” during an ODM party retreat held in Mombasa, escalating simmering tensions within the Orange Democratic Movement party.
In a statement on Sunday titled “The Odinga history is littered with sacrifices, not entitlements,” Odinga defended the political legacy of the Odinga family while responding to remarks she claimed were directed at her by the former ODM chairman.
According to the lawmaker, Mbadi told delegates during the May 4 retreat that ODM “does not belong to the Odingas” and “is not a family property,” adding that nobody should feel entitled because they carry the Odinga name.
She further alleged that Mbadi stated “Raila Odinga was already dead and buried,” and that even if he were alive “he wouldn’t do much” because other leaders had heavily invested in the party.
“I say this was a personal attack because I looked around and I was the only Odinga in the room,” Ruth said, noting that ODM party leader Oburu Oginga did not attend the retreat.
The Kisumu Woman Representative insisted that the Odinga political legacy was built on sacrifice rather than privilege.
“It is not the ODM Party that made Raila Odinga. It is the people of Kenya who made him who he was in life, and even in death because of what he stood for,” she said.
Odinga also recounted years of exile and political struggles faced by members of the Odinga family during the Moi era. She revealed that following the failed 1982 coup attempt, she fled Kenya and lived in Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and later Norway due to government crackdowns targeting individuals associated with the Odinga name.
“Because of the Odinga name I carry, I lived the experience and it is not something you would wish for your worst enemy,” she stated.
She also described difficulties travelling back to Kenya, claiming immigration officials frequently targeted her because of her surname.
Ruth further accused some ODM leaders of attempting to sideline the Odinga family for political convenience, warning against using the name as a “punching bag” for personal political survival.
“I have a duty to protect the Odinga name from being devalued,” she said. “My family and other families in Kenya paid ‘blood tax’ for the democracy the current leaders are now enjoying.”
Her remarks come amid growing debate within ODM over the party’s future direction and internal leadership dynamics following the death of Raila Odinga in October 2025.