NAIROBI — Kenya’s Orange Democratic Movement is facing questions about its future, but its senior leaders say the party is not only intact but preparing for bigger battles ahead.
At a press briefing in Nairobi on Tuesday, Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and Suna East MP Junet Mohamed dismissed talk of ODM’s decline, describing the party as disciplined, national in reach, and firmly united under its long-time leader, Raila Odinga.
“ODM is a national party,” Mr Mohamed said. “If there is any person who has dreams that ODM is dying anytime soon, he had better wake up; you are dreaming. ODM will be bigger than it is now.”
Mr Mohamed, the party’s director of elections and the National Assembly’s minority whip, said ODM’s strength lies in its grassroots structures. “We have 1.3 million officials from polling stations all the way to the party leader. This is the party with the highest membership in Kenya,” he said, adding that ODM had never faced questions over its financial records.
He insisted that ODM would play a central role in the 2027 elections. “This is the party to form government in 2027,” he told supporters. “ODM will either be in government or in a coalition that forms government. This party will never be in opposition again.”
Governor Wanga struck a similar tone, calling ODM one of the few truly national movements on the continent. “ODM is one of the biggest parties north of Limpopo and south of the Sahara,” she said. “If Raila says left, we will go left. If he says right, we shall all go right.”
Their remarks followed comments by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who claimed at a church event in Kajiado that ODM was split into two camps — one making noise to pressure President William Ruto, and another appeasing him.
The ODM leaders dismissed the suggestion. Ms Wanga pointed to internal disputes in Mr Gachagua’s own camp. “Recently, we saw a candidate who joined his DCP, and two days later announced he had resigned citing frustrations. Is that a party that can challenge us?” she asked.
Mr Mohamed was even sharper. “First build your own party into a mass movement,” he said, “then come and lecture us on how a political party is run.”
Polls suggest ODM’s popularity has waned since the 2022 elections, when it commanded about a quarter of the national vote. A recent survey by TIFA put its support at 13 percent. But for its leaders, the party’s legacy and its structures remain the foundation for its survival — and, they argue, for its chances in 2027.
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