Willis Otieno questions Mbadi’s dramatic shift on UDA
By Sharon Atieno, July 12, 2026Lawyer Willis Otieno has questioned Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi’s apparent change of political stance, saying the veteran Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) politician has shifted from being one of the ruling party’s fiercest critics to one of its strongest defenders without explaining the transition to Kenyans.
In a statement shared on his X account on Sunday, July 12, 2026, Otieno said the dramatic shift had left many questioning whether political convictions in Kenya are guided by principle or by the offices leaders occupy.
Otieno questions Mbadi’s political turnaround
Otieno argued that leaders have a responsibility to explain major changes in their political positions, especially after previously rallying supporters around opposing views.
“Politics can be astonishing. Yesterday’s loudest alarm can become today’s strongest endorsement without a single explanation to the people who believed it,” Otieno wrote.
He singled out Mbadi, saying the Treasury CS had previously portrayed the Kenya Kwanza administration as steering the country in the wrong direction but now appears to defend the same government.
“John Mbadi once spoke as though the country was headed in the wrong direction under UDA. Today, he speaks as though there was never a problem to begin with. Such a dramatic shift naturally leaves many Kenyans wondering whether convictions in politics are genuine or simply change with the office one occupies,” he added.
Otieno’s remarks come amid growing debate over the working relationship between ODM leaders and President William Ruto’s administration.
Mbadi stirs fresh political debate
The criticism follows Mbadi’s latest political remarks made during an empowerment programme in Siaya County on Saturday, July 11, where he declared that it would be unjust if the Luo community failed to produce Kenya’s president in the 2032 General Election.
“If there is injustice that we’ll do to our Luo people, it is failing to produce a Luo president in 2032. I am one of those people who are ready. I have studied politics under Raila and completed it,” Mbadi said.
His comments reignited succession politics even as President Ruto remains focused on seeking re-election in the 2027 General Election.
2032 succession race gathers momentum
Mbadi’s remarks add to a growing list of leaders publicly positioning themselves or their preferred candidates for the post-Ruto era.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has repeatedly declared that he is only interested in the presidency after serving as vice president, dismissing suggestions that he could settle for the running mate position in 2027.
At the same time, Nandi Governor Stephen Sang has endorsed Deputy President Kithure Kindiki as the preferred successor to President Ruto after 2032.
Otieno’s latest criticism is therefore likely to intensify debate over the political realignments taking shape ahead of both the 2027 General Election and the succession battle expected to follow, with scrutiny growing over the changing positions of senior political leaders.