Ruth Odinga: Why I support Oburu as ODM party leader
By Luke Oluoch, January 22, 2026Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has explained her reasons for supporting the new Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader, Oburu Odinga, describing him as capable of leading the ODM party.
In an interview with a local TV station on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, Ruth urged ODM officials in leadership positions to unite and make the leaders’ task manageable.
“I support Oburu. He has been chosen as the party leader, and he is mature enough for the role. He plays a very important role as a person with a sober head, and I believe he is capable of uniting the party,” she added.
Uniting all
“As leaders of the party, we ought to be supporting him. We should be the ones leading the reconciliation course and also excuse Oburu from dealing with the unending task of resolving cases and uniting party members,” she added.
The Kisumu Woman Representative addressed the simmering division within the party, now perceived to be a family feud. between the party leader and the late Odinga’s children.
Entitled to her opinion
“We are all straightforward people. Winnie brought up her point as a person who walked alongside her father. She spoke her mind on an issue she feels was not right based on how she knows her father’s approach to issues and conflicts. She is entitled to her opinion.
“If there is anything disrespectful she said to her father, then even I can sit her down and reprimand her. Our family has held Oburu as the family head even when Raila was alive, and he still commands the respect of the family,” she added.
She revealed the family will have no qualms about considering Winnie for a position within the party if she so desires.
“If her agitation is that she wants a position within the party, she can be considered for it. We have been doing that as a family through dialogue, and if she has a desire to stand for any position within the party, it is only that as a family we have not had time to sit down and talk as a family, and we are still reeling from the tragedy that befell us,” she clarified.
Rebel ODM MPs
On the ideological opinions within the party occasioned by a rebellious youth wing of a section of MPs, Ruth dismissed the assertion of a bitter breakup, asserting that the scenario was a show of democracy and wholesome divergence within the party.
She implored that the party revert to how the late leader, Raila Odinga—who believed in the power of the youth—used to handle such groups.
“The party must have its young people who have their own viewpoints and points of view. We must bring them on board. The youths see a person they identify with as their leader, and to me, that is a passion for the party and how we will have continuity and a future. So let us just call them all and decide on the direction of their agitations,” her advice parted.