Political analyst Herman Manyora has explained how President William Ruto managed to diminish the influence of the spouse of the late Raila Odinga, Ida Odinga, by awarding her the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Representative to Kenya role.

While speaking during his daily analysis on Tuesday, February 11, 2026, the professor stated that the president blundered by giving her the UNEP role.

He said Ruto could have let Ida retain her matriarchal role and status in the Luo community, a position Manyora asserts Ruto could have used to his advantage as a portal of entry into Nyanza for the 2027 elections.

Manyora noted that Ida Odinga, who was once a revered figure, has been reduced to what he termed a commoner, without the influence she once held.

He continued to state that Ida could have retained her “mini-Piny” status, where politicians and government officials, including Finance Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi and even members of the Odinga family, would always run to her home either in Bondo or Karen for advice when faced with challenges.

“Right person, Ruto succeeded in destroying her, Mama Aida. All her credibility has been destroyed. Of course, the larger Odingas would have been the right person. One move and Ida is finished. Just make the move on. I said she has become a commoner. She was on the throne. If Ida didn’t take this nonsense of a job, I’m sorry to say that Ruto would have been consulting her in Karen or Bondo,” he said.

Symbolic gestures

He further stated that any politician being hosted by her would carry significant weight, using Ruto as an example.

He explained that a simple photo of him and Ida at her Bondo Opoda farm home during the campaigns would have carried enormous significance and could have swayed the Nyanza region in Ruto’s favour for the 2027 elections.

Manyora argued that this could apply to any politician, as being hosted by Ida would have meant a lot and could tilt the tide politically. However, after the UNEP appointment, Ida has lost this advantage.

“Gestures just like those symbolically being seen in Bondo, having tea one morning with Ida – it was going to be something big. If she could host you and your delegation for lunch in Bondo, Opoda farm, it was going to be big. But Ruto has destroyed her completely,” Manyora concluded.

According to the analyst, the UNEP role shifted Ida from a revered political and cultural figure to a more ordinary public position, thereby weakening her ability to maintain influence over ODM’s continuity and the broader Jaramogi political lineage.

He argued that her status had been central to sustaining the movement’s identity and providing a sense of continuity within the Odinga family hierarchy.

Her role in Jaramogi’s family

Manyora further explained that while Oburu Odinga traditionally represents the senior family leadership and Raila Junior represents the next generation politically, Ida had remained the most influential figure symbolically and spiritually within the movement.

He claimed that she was expected to eventually pass that symbolic mantle to Winnie Odinga, preserving the family’s legacy and ODM’s political direction.

This comes days after Ida was appointed to replace Ababu Namwamba as the Kenyan representative to UNEP.