{"id":822,"date":"2026-10-20T06:14:39","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T06:14:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/?p=822"},"modified":"2026-10-20T06:14:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T06:14:39","slug":"orengos-defence-of-ida-odinga-exposes-growing-tensions-within-odm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/?p=822","title":{"rendered":"Orengo\u2019s Defence of Ida Odinga Exposes Growing Tensions Within ODM"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Siaya Governor James Orengo has defended Canon Ida Odinga against what he described as coordinated attacks, accusing unnamed individuals of betraying the political ideals of her late husband, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement posted on X on Monday, October 19, 2026, Orengo expressed concern over the criticism directed at Ida and the wider Odinga family, warning that attempts to undermine their legacy would not succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIda Odinga was not just Raila\u2019s wife but a fighter in the struggle against oppression, injustice and despotism,\u201d Orengo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He argued that Ida had played an important role in Kenya\u2019s political struggle and deserved recognition beyond her identity as Raila\u2019s widow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orengo further accused unnamed individuals of turning against the family and attempting to erase Raila\u2019s contribution to the country\u2019s political history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey have sold the Party and now want to throw Raila Odinga\u2019s legacy to the dustbin of history. It will never happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disagreement over Raila\u2019s legacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Orengo\u2019s remarks come amid growing disagreements within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) following the first anniversary of Raila\u2019s death, marked on October 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The commemoration in Bondo exposed differences among political leaders over the direction of the party and the relationships Raila maintained across the political divide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ida\u2019s decision to welcome leaders from different political camps to the anniversary gathering attracted criticism from some ODM figures allied to President William Ruto\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She defended the invitations, maintaining that her late husband had built relationships across political divides. The disagreement has since fuelled debate about who should preserve and represent Raila\u2019s political legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orengo, a longtime ally of Raila, suggested that the hostility directed at the family was not entirely new, arguing that similar sentiments had begun emerging even before the former prime minister\u2019s death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He concluded his statement with the Luo proverb \u201cWang\u2019 mi chiedho ema gawi,\u201d alongside the Swahili expression \u201cAsante ya punda ni mateke,\u201d conveying his criticism of what he considers ingratitude and betrayal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ODM faces questions over its future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The public disagreement comes as political attention shifts towards the 2027 General Election, raising questions about ODM\u2019s unity and its future political alliances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raila led ODM for years and remained a central figure in Kenya\u2019s opposition politics. His death has left questions about the party\u2019s direction and how his political influence will be carried forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orengo\u2019s statement adds to the debate over whether Raila\u2019s legacy should be represented primarily through ODM\u2019s current leadership or preserved more broadly through his family, political allies and the causes he championed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The governor did not name the individuals he accused of attacking the Odinga family in his post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the disagreement continues, the challenge facing ODM will be to manage its internal differences while determining its political direction ahead of the next general election.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Siaya Governor James Orengo has defended Canon Ida Odinga against what he described as coordinated…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[40,41],"class_list":["post-822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-hon-james-orengo","tag-odm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=822"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":824,"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822\/revisions\/824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jukwaapress.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}