Winnie Odinga shakes hands with President William Ruto during the commissioning of Raila Odinga mausoleum in Bondo on October 7, 2026 /PCSThe family of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has signalled unconditional backing for President William Ruto, with key members publicly endorsing his re-election bid.
Ida Odinga on Wednesday spoke warmly about Ruto's role in her husband's political journey, recalling his support for Raila's presidential ambitions during the 2007 general election.
She recalled that Ruto stood with Raila during the fiercely contested election, a fact she said many had forgotten.
"Your Excellency, many people think that your journey with Baba started during the handshake. I will always remember the way you stood with him during and after the 2007 elections. You defended him fiercely," Ida said.
But the clearest endorsement from the Raila family came from Raila Jnr, who lauded Ruto for his development efforts in Nyanza and declared his support for the President's 2027 re-election bid.
"The President has done a lot for us which we are able to see. We should thank him and support him," Junior declared, amid applause.
"I would like to say that I am supporting you and I am behind you fully."
Raila Jnr was installed as the official head of the Raila Odinga family on October 23, 2025, days after the burial of the former Prime Minister.
His remarks follow a recent pattern of accompanying Ruto during engagements, especially in Nyanza, where he has repeatedly declared his political support.
He said his father and President Ruto had a shared vision on development and on devolving resources to the grassroots.
The endorsements come amid deepening divisions within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) following Raila's death in October 2025.
The party is struggling to maintain its strongholds as internal factions openly clash over its political direction.
The fallout has been most dramatic in the conflict between ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna and the party's acting leadership.
Sifuna and his team have broken away from the faction aligned with the broad-based government, accusing it of betraying the party's founding principles by working too closely with Ruto. The Sifuna camp has joined a new party, TEP.
ODM strongholds in Western, Nyanza and the Coast have become battlegrounds between the rival factions, with the party's grassroots support fracturing.
Analysts warn that unless the divisions are resolved, ODM risks losing its dominance in regions it has controlled for nearly two decades.
Some analysts see Ida's remarks as a calculated political endorsement.
Ruto has himself gone flat out to court Raila's family and, in January, appointed Ida as Kenya's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi.
"Many people have chosen not to remember, but I remember. Thank you for being there all the time," Ida said during the commissioning of Raila's mausoleum in Bondo on Wednesday.
Ruto was part of the 2007 ODM Pentagon, a powerful politburo whose influence nearly pushed then-President Mwai Kibaki to the brink of defeat. Ruto's aggressive defence of ODM saw him charged at the International Criminal Court.
Shortly after the burial of their father, Raila's daughter Winnie signalled she could break ranks with broad-based supporters, including her uncle Oburu Oginga.
In August, she said she was yet to decide whether she would support Ruto's bid for re-election in the 2027 polls.
In recent months, however, she has toned down her political engagements, including appearing to antagonise the ODM leadership.
Yesterday, the EALA MP called for a political ceasefire ahead of the October 15 commemoration of her father.
Winnie urged leaders across the political divide to set aside their differences and focus on celebrating his life and legacy. She said the event would bring together people with different political convictions, including guests from neighbouring countries and beyond.
"On October 15 we have invited people of different political inclination, from different tribes and communities, from neighbouring countries and beyond to join us in celebrating the memory of Baba," Winnie said.
She acknowledged that those attending the commemoration would not necessarily share the same political views, saying the family was not asking anyone to abandon their beliefs.
"We may hold different political convictions; we may disagree strongly about the direction of our country, but you are welcome here. Nobody is being asked to surrender their beliefs at the gate," Winnie said.
Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi joined the Odinga family in backing Ruto's 2027 re-election, arguing the political relationship between Ruto and Raila was genuine and rooted in a long history of working together. The CS, a long-time confidant of Raila, said Raila deliberately chose to work with the President in the interest of the country.
"The last tribute we can pay to Baba is to continue that path that he started with you. In Siaya here we have resolved to walk together and come next year we shall be with you to the very end," Wandayi said.
The President urged the region to turn out in large numbers and cast their votes in next year's polls in honour of Raila.
"People of Siaya, people of Nyanza, the people of Kenya, Baba fought all his life so that your voice would count. Do not silence it yourselves. Register as a voter. And next year, wake up early and vote," Ruto said.
"An eligible Kenyan who fails to register, or an adult who fails to vote, goes against everything Baba stood for."
The President described Raila as a great nationalist who held the country together and knew when to step back.
"When some sought to exploit our nation's crisis in 2024 for political expediency, Baba chose to hold the nation together. That same spirit brought us together in the broad-based government," the head of state said.
The invite-only ceremony was attended by, among others, ODM national chairperson Gladys Wanga, Governors Ochilo Ayacko (Migori), Abdulswamad Nassir (Mombasa) and MPs Gideon Ochanda (Bondo), Otiende Amolo (Rarieda), Mark Nyamita (Uriri), David Ochieng' (Ugenya) and Felix Oduor (Lang'ata).
Also present were Irine Mayaka (nominated), Rosa Buyu (Kisumu Town West), Catherine Omanyo (nominated), Tindi Mwale (Butere), Joshua Oron (Kisumu Central), Anthony Oluoch (Mathare), Moses Omondi (Ugunja) and Beatrice Elachi (Dagoretti North).
