Nabii Nabwera warns Oburu Odinga: Loyalty we had for Raila can’t be transferred
By Mabonga Makhanu, January 24, 2026Lugari Member of Parliament (MP) Nabii Nabwera has warned Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Oburu Odinga that the loyalty the people of Kakamega had to the late Raila Odinga is not transferable.
Speaking during the disbursement of the Uwezo Fund in Shinyalu Constituency on Friday, January 24, 2026, Nabwera said Oburu must earn the people’s loyalty, insisting it cannot be inherited or handed over on a silver platter.
“We were very loyal to Raila Odinga, but he worked for that loyalty. He respected the people. That loyalty is not transferable; it must be earned,” Nabwera said.
His remarks come in the wake of the Linda Ground meetings in Kakamega County, which exposed deepening divisions within ODM.
One faction, led by Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs Wycliffe Oparanya and Nabii Nabwera, held a separate meeting in Butere at Oparanya’s home, while a rival faction allied to Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa held a parallel forum in Kakamega Town.
The standoff is rooted in the 2025 ODM county party elections, where Barasa was declared the winner of the county chairmanship, a result Nabwera disputed, insisting he was the rightful winner.
During the Butere meeting, Oburu Odinga recognised Nabii Nabwera as the ODM Kakamega County chairman, effectively sidelining Barasa’s claim.
However, when Oburu later attended the Kakamega Town meeting presided over by Governor Barasa, he changed his earlier stance and recognised Barasa as the ODM county chairman, while stating that, as party leader, he would work to ensure unity and eliminate factions within the party.
This dual recognition infuriated Nabii Nabwera, triggering his sharp public attack on Oburu Odinga.
Attack on Oparanya
Nabwera also aimed at Kisii Governor Simba Arati, who attended Governor Barasa’s function, accusing him of launching subtle attacks against Wycliffe Oparanya in the presence of Oburu Odinga.
He warned that attacks on Oparanya, whom Kakamega MPs have recently endorsed as their regional kingpin and pushed as a potential running mate to President William Ruto in 2027, would be interpreted as a direct attack on the entire Kakamega leadership.
“Oburu Odinga, tell Simba Arati this: Mkionyesha Oparanya kidole, mnamaanisha tuondoke kwa hicho chama. Mkimtusi Oparanya, mnatuambia sisi si marafiki. Haiwezekani tusi baba ya mtu kwake.”
English translation:
“When you point fingers at Oparanya, you are telling us to leave the party. When you insult Oparanya, you are telling us we are not friends. You cannot insult someone’s father in his own home.”