Raila steps back as Nyong'o puts on big ODM shoes

After nearly 15 years at the helm of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga Wednesday began his retirement journey.

Against pressure to pass the baton to the next generation, the former premier picked Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o to steer the party in his absence.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, ODM’s secretary general, announced the development at a press briefing in Nairobi yesterday after a meeting of the party’s Central Management Committee at a Nairobi hotel.

He said that, “owing to the gruelling AU campaign” Raila had “designated” Nyong’o to chair meetings of the top decision-making committee until next February as Raila steps up his campaigns for the African Union Commission chairperson position.

The move makes the Kisumu governor ODM’s party leader, at least in waiting, with Sifuna arguing that Raila would continue to perform his leadership roles whenever available.

“The only organ of the party that is chaired not by the national chairperson but by the party leader, is the central committee. Knowing how gruelling the campaign will be... we don’t want a point to come that a meeting becomes necessary and we don’t have a chairperson because our constitution does not allow any other person, other than a person designated by the party leader to chair central committee meetings,” said Sifuna.

Raila, who chaired the meeting, was scheduled to jet out of the country to Germany, with President William Ruto expected to join him on the trip. He will officially exit ODM next month, with Nyong’o now expected to take up the party leader role substantively. His official retirement will come a month to the grassroots elections, previously postponed, which Sifuna announced would be held in November.

With Raila’s exit comes uncertainty over the survival of the party, even though he opted for the cautious choice of handing his party to a trusted hand. It was expected that the opposition veteran would slight his three deputies, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi and Governors Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir (Mombasa) and Simba Arati (Kisii) to forestall a fallout.

Nyong’o, Raila’s age mate who turns 79 next month, has previously held the party leader position on an interim capacity in 2013. He has been a loyal ally of Raila, who also served as ODM’s secretary general. He vacated the position amid a push for generational change by younger ODM lawmakers. 

Nyong’o had faced stiff competition from Siaya Governor James Orengo and interests that favoured a generational shift. Younger lawmakers had preferred Sifuna, with Embakasi East MP Babu Owino touting himself as the best person to lead the party into the future.

Orengo had been equally aggressive but had raised eyebrows with his dalliance with Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, as well as his initial opposition to the broad-based deal.

He futilely hoped to rally ODM county chairpersons to back him on Tuesday. Makadara MP George Aladwa, ODM’s chair in Nairobi and the head of the chairpersons’ caucus, convened a meeting to push for Orengo’s candidacy. Aladwa’s overtures were resisted, amid threats that he would be ousted as the chair of the chairpersons. A day earlier, Aladwa had been tasked to mobilise city lawmakers to accompany Ruto to a tour in Lang’ata and a meeting at State House. The central committee did not take Aladwa’s actions kindly and yesterday warned non-secretariat members against issuing communications to party members.

The warning further reveals the cracks in Ruto’s and Raila’s broad-based arrangement, even as the State House yesterday denied that they had invited ODM MPs to the State House.

“State House communicates or invites MPs or any other individuals or groups through official channels only,” State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said on X, in reaction to media reports that ODM MPs had snubbed Ruto.

“You are lying Omwami,” Sifuna shot back on the same platform.