Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda has hinted at pursuing alternative political options if the Orange Democratic Movement sidelines him in the 2027 Kisumu gubernatorial race in favour of Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga.

Speaking during an interview on political analyst Herman Manyora’s podcast, Ojienda said he could not approach the race to succeed Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o with only one political option available.

The outspoken senator was responding to questions about the growing perception that Ruth Odinga could enjoy an advantage within ODM because of her close ties to ODM leader Raila Odinga.

Ojienda said that if the political environment within ODM became unfavourable, he would be forced to explore other alternatives in pursuit of his gubernatorial ambitions.

“I think, as I said, there are many options. So if you can’t go in one direction, you will choose another,” he said.

However, he expressed confidence that ODM would ultimately uphold democratic principles and allow voters to decide through a fair nomination process.

“I believe that ODM will abide by the principles of popularity and elected politics, allowing the public to choose among all candidates,” he stated.

The senator warned the party against issuing direct nominations or manipulating party primaries, arguing that such moves could alienate supporters and hurt ODM politically.

“You do not want to second-guess some of these options by taking shortcuts and then giving out tickets, leaving people disappointed,” Ojienda said.

According to him, supporters whose preferred candidates are denied tickets could retaliate by voting against ODM candidates or skipping the election altogether — a scenario he said could even affect presidential vote totals.

“If people are disappointed, the outcome is clear: they may elect someone other than the person you have given the ticket. That could even cost votes in the presidential race,” he added.

Ojienda further cautioned that any lack of transparency in ODM nominations would have a devastating effect on the party, maintaining that imposed candidates have previously cost Raila politically in past elections.

He argued that voter turnout often declines when popular grassroots candidates are locked out of the ballot through party processes perceived to be unfair.

On speculation that he could ditch ODM and seek a ticket from the ruling United Democratic Alliance due to his perceived closeness to President William Ruto, Ojienda dismissed the claims as premature.

Laughing off the suggestion, he said it was still too early to make such political decisions and that the appropriate course of action would become clear at the right time.

For her part, Ruth Odinga has in recent months rejected claims that her political rise is tied to being a member of the Odinga family.

She has maintained that all her political victories have been earned through grassroots mobilization and competitive elections, insisting she has never benefited from preferential treatment within ODM.