Oburu criticises ODM zoning debate as premature
By Mabonga Makhanu, April 19, 2026The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Oburu Odinga has dismissed the zoning debate within the outfit, terming it premature.
While speaking during an interview with a local radio station on Sunday, April 19, 2026, Oburu Odinga stated that zoning is one of the agendas to be discussed in the upcoming negotiations with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
He further faulted ODM leaders who have publicly spoken about zoning, saying they are in too much of a hurry. The Siaya senator added that zoning will only be handled by a technical team, which, according to him, is yet to be formed.
“These are issues that are going to be discussed in negotiations, and we have a technical team which we are just preparing to start discussing those issues. Those people who have begun discussing it in public are in too much of a hurry. They do not know what will come out of it,” Oburu stated.
“In any case, it is one of the many issues that we will discuss. Zoning, to me, must be discussed, and it is going to be on the table for discussion. If anybody has a view which they want to give us as a party—and most of them are party members and party leaders—they have channels of channelling their views to us and their fears,” he elaborated.
“You know, there are people who are fearful that with zoning, some people will be favoured. Some of them did not participate in ODM elections, so they think the membership of the officials is not friendly to them and that there will not be free and fair nominations,” Oburu further clarified.
Otiende Omollo’s view
This comes days after Otiende Amollo, the Rarieda MP, also slammed ODM members holding zoning talks, terming them premature and saying they should be deferred and handled during upcoming structured talks with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
While speaking during a fundraiser in Migori on Friday, April 17, 2026, the outspoken lawmaker urged ODM members to desist, insisting that the only appropriate forum for zoning discussions is during structured talks with their broad-based partners—not at funerals or fundraisers, as is currently happening.
Call for a zoning ceasefire
He called on anyone with a differing opinion on zoning to present it during the official negotiations.
“Hakuna haja ya kuanza kubishana iwe kwa Matanga iwe kwa press conference; the place for such kinds of talks is in the negotiations. We must have, and I have always insisted we must have, structured negotiations. Come and say why zoning is bad; come and say why zoning is good.”