Junet explains why ODM rushed to install Oburu as party leader
By Mustafa Juma, January 21, 2026Suna East Member of Parliament (MP) Junet Mohamed has explained why the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) moved swiftly to install Oburu Odinga as the party’s interim leader following the death of its long-time leader, Raila Odinga.
Speaking on the night of Wednesday, January 21, 2026, during an interview with one of the local TV stations, Junet said the decision was driven by the need to prevent a leadership vacuum within the party, warning that delays could have triggered internal instability.
“You know politics abhors a vacuum. ODM is like a small government,” Junet said.
“When presidents die, vice presidents are sworn in even before the president’s body gets to the mortuary. ODM is another government; you can’t leave it hanging loose like that. Anything can happen.”
Steady leadership
The National Assembly Minority Leader noted that ODM, as a major political party with national influence, required immediate and steady leadership to guide it through the transition period after Raila’s death.
“ODM is an institution, so when a leader dies, we don’t want commotion here and there. We had to install a person we thought could take us through this period,” he added.
According to the lawmaker, the party’s leadership settled on Oburu because he was best placed to provide continuity and stability during a delicate moment for the party and its supporters.
“We had to install a person we thought could take us through this period,” Junet explained.
Oburu takes over ODM leadership
Oburu Odinga, Raila’s elder brother and a veteran politician, was appointed shortly after Raila’s passing, a move that sparked debate within political circles and among ODM supporters.
While some questioned the speed of the decision, party insiders have defended it as necessary to maintain unity and order.
However, the move seems to have widened the wrangles being witnessed within the party, leading to the emergence of two factions within ODM, with one faction supporting the leadership of Oburu and another opposing him and the broad-based government altogether.
The youthful faction of Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, and Saboti MP Caleb Amisi has been demanding the party’s National Delegates Convention (NDC) so that the party can make changes in its leadership, while Oburu’s supporters have been opposed to that.