By Anderson Ojwang
Last Sunday in Western Kenya, Kakamega and Bungoma counties respectively marked two important destinations for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), with two months to the first anniversary of the founder, the late Raila Amolo Odinga.
In Bungoma, the departure of the faction, Linda Mwananchi group, from the party was witnessed. The faction is headed by immediate former Secretary General Edwin Sifuna.
Sifuna was the last Secretary General for Raila and the longest-serving Secretary General of the party, and his team formally announced their departure from ODM and his presidential bid.
In Malava constituency, a new political storm was brewing in the party with the declaration by the Director of Elections, Junet Mohammed, of Cabinet Secretary Wycliff Oparanya as the party candidate for the Deputy President in the ODM-UDA pre-election pact.
Already, Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho had declared interest in the DP slot.
ODM Coast leaders have already rallied behind the former deputy party leader, and Junet’s declaration could herald another split.
Why Junet’s declaration is powerful
Last year, in October, after the death of Raila and while the body was still airborne from India, Junet told Siaya Senator Dr Oburu Oginga that the party had settled on him to be the acting party leader during the transition.
The engineered leadership coup locked out Kisumu Governor Prof Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, who by the time of Raila’s death had not handed over the instruments of power to the deceased and should have continued to act and steer the transition of the party.
Oburu told reporters: “When we were receiving the body of Raila at the airport, and the party had just met at 6.00 am in the morning, the NEC and somebody just came and whispered to me when I was still in shock that, ‘Do you know what NEC has done? You have been appointed as the interim party leader.’ I was so shocked. How did they appoint me at this time, when I am still in this state? Then they told me to think about it. They have nominated you to be the one. I feel I am the most sober in the circumstances, and I am trying to sober myself. In terms of experience, which other people matches mine?” he said.
But MP Caroli Omondi said immediately after Raila’s death, a mysterious hand took over the running of the party and was making decisions.
“There was a very quick transition even before Baba’s body arrived. When Mzee Oburu announced that he had accepted to be the party leader, he said he did not even know that there was a process to make him party leader. What that implies is that that call came from somewhere else. And that worries me a lot. This is because it therefore seems that ODM is getting directions and controls from somewhere else,” he said.
Oparanya for Deputy President
Junet on Sunday in Malava said ODM has settled on Oparanya for the Deputy President in the pre-election alliance pact between ODM and UDA.
“We are forming an alliance between ODM and UDA with a view to forming the 2027 government with President William Ruto. If UDA takes the President’s slot, ODM will go for the Deputy slot, and that is what we will negotiate for. The person who qualifies and has experience, a Cabinet Secretary, former deputy party leader, is Wycliff Oparanya. When we shall have agreed on a pre-election coalition pact, UDA will bring the President while ODM will go for the Deputy President. We will take Oparanya for the seat,” he said.
Junet said ODM will follow queue and experience in nominating the ODM candidate for the post of Deputy President in the ODM-UDA coalition pact.
“We want to have someone who can lead us as ODM. We have our party leader, Dr Oburu Oginga. In Western, we have Oparanya, and as ODM we have our plan. There are people who have been with the late Raila Amolo Odinga. We have a queue, and you cannot bypass the queue,” he said.
Oburu’s change of heart
“I cannot betray Raila Odinga. I cannot leave ODM, and I have resolved to remain in ODM. I want to unite the Luhya community.”
Earlier in the year, Oburu found himself in a compromising situation, forced to attend two parallel rallies in Kakamega town – one by Oparanya and the other by Governor Ferdinand Barasa.
When Oburu spoke in Kakamega, he said: “I was invited to Butere, and I went to eat breakfast. But when I reached there, I found people saying they were the bona fide delegates. We spoke and addressed them because rightly they are our people. I was with Oparanya. Can you see him around so that we can resolve this matter? Is Oparanya around? He left by chopper. We want one Kakamega. I have spoken with the chairman Barasa. He has no problem, and he wants a united Kakamega.”
Over the weekend, Oburu said Oparanya was a close friend of Raila and welcomed him back to the fold.
“CS Oparanya was closer to my late brother Raila. He used to be very close to me, but he moved to Raila. Now I want to take him back so that he becomes much closer to me again.”
The Coast
The Coast leaders have been engaged in consultative engagement to drum up support for Joho for the position of the Deputy President slot in the ODM-UDA pre-election pact.
Mombasa Women Representative on Monday posted on her social media platforms: “As the Coast region, we must be counted. Son of the soil, Hassan Ali Joho, for the Deputy President seat.”
A section of ODM leaders have declared support for Joho for the Deputy President slot in the 2027 general elections.
“Nobody will kill the dream of the Coast. It cannot happen. What do they have that we don’t have?” Joho said.
ODM Deputy Party Leader and Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir said the region has planned its political future around Joho.
“We have planned ourselves that when ODM gets into negotiations, the irreducible minimum is Deputy President. If the DP is from ODM, it is for the Coast. I have traversed every part of the country with Hassan Joho, and he is acceptable to be the Deputy President,” he said.
The battle for the Deputy President slot could herald another disintegration in ODM and eventual demise.
