Pauline Odhiambo Oginga, the stepsister to the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has come out to question both factions of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), ‘Linda Mwananchi’ and ‘Linda Ground’, asking whose interests they are championing.

While speaking in a video shared on her Facebook page on Friday, May 7, 2026, Pauline Oginga, who is also eyeing the Nyali MP seat in 2027, put the two ODM factions to task, saying they should assess themselves and be guided accordingly.

“My one word for Linda Ground and Linda Mwananchi is they should assess whose interests they are fighting for,” she said.

This comes days after she urged the two factions to disband and instead adopt ‘Linda ODM’ or ‘Linda Raila’ as their unified call going forward.

Current situation in ODM

Recently, during an interview, she also took a swipe at what is currently taking place within ODM, saying that the party, which was once vibrant when her late brother Raila Odinga was at the helm for over two decades since its inception in 2005, is gradually losing its popularity.

She expressed her disappointment at how even the Nyanza region, which was ODM’s stronghold and a place where no party could dare field a candidate, has now been infiltrated by other parties.

Pauline stated that President Ruto can successfully hold rallies in the Nyanza region without going through local leaders in the area.

She stated that ODM top party officials should be held solely responsible for the situation.

She accused them of entertaining Ruto too much, allowing him to make inroads into their strongholds without their knowledge, only to later realise that he had already gained significant ground. She stated that ODM top party officials should be held solely responsible for the situation.

She accused them of entertaining Ruto too much, allowing him to make inroads into their strongholds without their knowledge, only to later realise that he had already gained significant ground. She further contends that this will be one of the key avenues President Ruto will use to deepen his political influence in the Nyanza region.

Ruth Odinga’s perspective

Her remarks have been echoed by her elder sister, Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga, who has also been calling for the disbandment of the two factions.

She has further called for the abolishment of the Wantam and Tutam talks, urging leaders to instead focus on strengthening the party. She said they should not go into negotiations while weak.