ODM did not make Raila! Ruth Odinga hits back at Mbadi

A collage photo of Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga and Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi

Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has accused Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi of attacking the Odinga family legacy following remarks he made during a recent retreat of the Orange Democratic Movement in Mombasa.

In a statement released on Sunday, Ruth said Mbadi unfairly targeted the Odinga family while discussing the future of ODM and internal divisions within the party.

The fallout stems from comments Mbadi made during an ODM retreat held on May 4, where party leaders reportedly held candid discussions on the party’s future amid growing tensions between rival factions.

According to Ruth, Mbadi said ODM did not belong to the Odinga family and warned against leaders feeling entitled because they carried the Odinga name.

“He said the ODM Party does not belong to the Odingas. That it is not a family property and therefore nobody should feel entitled because they carry the Odinga name,” Ruth stated.

She added that Mbadi went further and declared that the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was “dead and buried", remarks she described as disrespectful and dismissive of the sacrifices associated with the Odinga name.

“I say this was a personal attack because I looked around and I was the only Odinga in the room. I, as an Odinga by biology and also ideological Odinga, cannot sit pretty and allow this to pass without setting the records straight.”

Ruth defended the family’s political legacy, recounting years of exile, harassment and political sacrifice linked to the struggle for democracy in Kenya.

She revealed that after the failed 1982 coup attempt, she fled into exile in Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and later Norway due to government crackdowns associated with the Odinga name.

“Because of the Odinga name I carry, I lived the experience, and it is not something you would wish for your worst enemy,” she said. “Travelling to Kenya with the Odinga name on my passport was such a nightmare.”

The Kisumu Woman Representative also rejected claims that members of the Odinga family had benefited from political entitlement, saying she had personally sacrificed political opportunities to protect Raila Odinga’s presidential ambitions.

“Being an Odinga has meant that you have to work extra hard. In 2013, having won the party primary for Kisumu gubernatorial position, party honchos claimed I could not become governor of Kisumu when my brother was seeking the presidency,” she stated.

Ruth further argued that ODM was built around ideals championed by Raila Odinga and other pro-democracy leaders long before the party was formally established.

“It is not the ODM Party that made Raila Odinga. It is the people of Kenya who made him who he was in life, and even in death because of what he stood for,” she said.

However, Mbadi later accused Ruth of distorting remarks that he said were intended for internal party introspection.

“When we met in Mombasa for the ODM retreat, the session provided a private moment for candid talk and introspection,” Mbadi said in a statement.

“I’m therefore surprised to see my sister Ruth Adhiambo Odinga distort my speech.”

In his Mombasa meeting remarks released afterward, Mbadi insisted that ODM should not be viewed as belonging to one family or community.

“This party does not belong to one community. ODM does not belong to the Luo community. It does not belong to a family,” he said.

The Treasury CS also urged ODM memers to remain united and stop sitting “on the fence” amid growing divisions within the party.

“We must now manage the transition. Baba is no more. This is post-Raila era. We must be candid, we must be forthright, and we must chart our way forward.”