SIAYA, Kenya — In a defining New Year’s Eve address that sets the tone for Kenya’s next electoral cycle, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Dr. Oburu Oginga has formally declared his intention to carry the party’s presidential banner in the 2027 General Election, signalling the start of a high-stakes internal and national political realignment.
Speaking on Wednesday, December 31, Oburu outlined ODM’s immediate strategy, reaffirming the party’s commitment to the current broad-based governing arrangement with President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration, while simultaneously positioning himself as the uncontested presidential choice should the party opt to run independently.
2026: The decisive political year
Oburu described 2026 as the party’s critical transition year — a window in which ODM must resolve its alliances, internal positioning, and electoral roadmap before entering the 2027 campaign season.
“2026 is a crucial year for our party because things must be worked out before 2027. Before the end of 2026, we shall have clearly known and made all necessary arrangements going into 2027,” Oburu said.
He confirmed that ODM will use the next twelve months to determine whether it will contest the presidency on its own or within a broader coalition framework.
“Before the end of the year, our party will have known whether we’re going it alone or going into a coalition with other parties and we shall have by that time known whom we’re going with,” he added.
Claiming the ticket — and closing the door on rivals
Invoking ODM’s constitution, Oburu asserted that the party leader automatically becomes the presidential candidate when the party chooses a solo run — a declaration that directly challenges any emerging ambitions within the party.
“If we’re going it alone, I want to make it clear that our Constitution has the presidential candidate for our party and it is the party leader. I am the presidential candidate for ODM if the party decides to go it alone,” he said.
In one of the sharpest moments of the address, Oburu issued a blunt warning to potential internal challengers:
“Anybody who is preparing himself to go for presidential elections in ODM, I think is misplaced. If they want to go for the presidency, they should look for another party.”
The remarks effectively close ranks around his leadership and establish clear lines of authority as ODM enters the post-Raila Odinga era.
Ending internal divisions
Oburu also moved to extinguish emerging factional slogans among ODM supporters — particularly the growing “one-term” (wantam) and “two-term” (tutam) narratives — which reflect internal disagreements over the party’s future political posture.
“We are urging our party to remain united, focused and steadfast in their pursuit of the peoples’ interests,” he said.
“Those talking of one-term or two-term, that is not our party policy, ours is to work in unity, strengthen our party and work in this broad-based arrangement until 2027.”
A new chapter for ODM
Oburu’s declaration marks a pivotal moment for ODM as it navigates leadership succession following the political transition of party founder Raila Odinga, whose influence continues to shape ODM’s national posture.
The speech positions Oburu not only as the party’s current steward, but as its definitive standard-bearer into the next electoral era.
With the 2027 contest already taking shape across the political landscape, Oburu’s move effectively launches ODM’s long campaign — one anchored in internal consolidation, alliance recalibration, and a firm assertion of personal leadership.
