By Anderson Ojwang
The late Raila Amolo Odinga was a man who liked and cherished refined and classy things. From his attire to décor and to well-planned and organised fora, everything flowed and synced with Raila’s taste and class. He was specific about details, and that is why his forums went smoothly.
That is why, for over a decade, Raila relied on DJ Spice to energise the crowd and control the tempo and rhythm of the rallies through his musical mix.
DJ Spice understood Raila’s taste and the music applicable to a specific audience, and indeed he kept Raila and the crowd alive. The crowd went wild, glued and expectant for Raila’s moment at the podium.
But for his elder brother, Dr Oburu Oginga, the current ODM party leader, it has been a wobble—confusion, disorganisation and a complete contrast to Raila’s forums.
In his Linda Ground rallies, Oburu and his team have been left exposed by the poor show of their DJs, who have failed to up their game and have left the party leader frustrated and lamenting.
“Wapi JJ, DJ, DJ hakuna DJ, DJ ako wapi,” and then he sings “Leo ni leo,” then reverts, “DJ hakuna, leo ni leo,” as the crowd bursts into laughter.
In a recent interview with Citizen Digital, DJ Spice said he was now allied to Edwin Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi group, declaring his unwavering support for the splinter group and revealing that, even before joining the Sifuna-led brigade, he had not been playing at the Linda Ground rallies anyway.
“I had been away from Linda Ground for long. I didn’t play at the Homa Bay rallies or elsewhere. It suddenly became an issue after I joined Edwin Sifuna in Busia. I’m fully affiliated with the Linda Mwananchi team!” he said.
But the Oburu faction’s Secretary General, Catherine Omanya, wrote on her X handle, “Tuko na DJ. The new ODM DJs are DJ Ibra and DJ Pinto Cahil,” which drew mixed reactions in the comment section.
Some wrote, “Kindly heal; you are posting some rookie DJs from who knows where, always cheapening the discussion at every turn.”
Apart from Sifuna walking away with Raila’s crowd gem, the Linda Mwananchi faction is also taking away members, leaving Oburu with the party organs.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino recently summed it up at a Kitengela rally, saying that Oburu and his team have the party while they have the members.
“Today they have the party, but we have the party members. When they go to State House, do they tell you? They go alone. They are trying to threaten us, but they cannot manage us,” he said.
Siaya Governor James Orengo, in comparing the Kitengela and Mombasa rallies by the two factions, said the genuine ODM members were in Kitengela and that those in Mombasa should refund President Ruto his money.
“Watu wa ODM ambao wako Mombasa warudishie Ruto pesa zake. (Those ODM members should refund Ruto his money.) ODM members and leaders are here in Kitengela,” he said.
Could Oburu be on a long losing streak to the Linda Mwananchi faction ahead of the National Delegates Conference?
