NAIROBI, Kenya — Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has intensified his attacks on Orange Democratic Movement leader Oburu Oginga, questioning the veteran politician’s fitness to lead the opposition party as a power struggle over its direction sharpens ahead of the 2027 general election.
Speaking during a tour of Nyeri, Gachagua alleged that allies of President William Ruto within ODM had privately raised concerns about Oburu’s capacity to spearhead the president’s re-election campaign. “Yesterday, Ruto’s people in ODM told him that Oburu cannot lead his campaign because he struggles to walk. We saw the other day he could not even read his speech,” Gachagua said.
The Democracy for the Citizens Party leader suggested a push was underway to oust Oburu from the party helm. “They told Ruto that there was a need to remove Oburu. So Oburu, they are coming for you, and when Riggy G tells you that your wife is pregnant, you had better buy diapers,” he said.
The remarks add a volatile new dimension to the contest for control of ODM following the death of longtime leader Raila Odinga. Oburu, Odinga’s elder brother and a Siaya senator, assumed the party leadership after his brother’s passing. He was initially appointed acting leader and later confirmed at a special delegates conference.
His ascension has not quelled internal divisions. The party has fractured over its ideological direction, its relationship with Ruto’s administration, and the generational transition of the movement Odinga built over nearly two decades.
In February, a dispute over Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna exposed the depth of the disagreements. The struggle has since widened into a battle over who controls the party machinery and whether ODM should maintain its close alignment with the Kenya Kwanza government.
The arrangement has created an unusual dynamic: a party historically defined by opposition politics now negotiating with the administration it once opposed. In March, ODM’s parliamentary group endorsed Oburu’s leadership while backing talks with Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance ahead of the next election cycle. President Ruto has publicly acknowledged Oburu’s authority within the party.
That relationship has become the central fault line. One faction argues that engagement with Ruto allows ODM to influence government from within. Another warns that excessive cooperation erodes the party’s identity and alienates its base.
Recent polling underscores the rift. A TIFA survey found 73 percent of ODM supporters backed the Linda Mwananchi faction associated with Sifuna, while only 24 percent supported Oburu’s Linda Ground faction. The same survey showed a strong preference among supporters for an independent, people-centered opposition rather than closer ties to the government.
As the 2027 election approaches, the battle for ODM’s soul is likely to define the shape of Kenya’s opposition landscape.
