ODM leader Dr Oburu Oginga says Nyanza is an exclusive ODM stronghold and has warned the ruling UDA party against attempting to make inroads in the region.
Speaking in Homa Bay County on Sunday, Oburu firmly defended ODM’s push for political zoning, saying the party had earned the right to protect its traditional support bases before opening negotiations over other regions ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“Some people say we don’t want zoning. If you don’t want zoning, what do you want? We want zoning because this is our zone. Is Homa Bay not our zone? We don’t want UDA here in Homa Bay,” Oburu said.
Oburu maintained that ODM’s areas of influence were not up for negotiation with UDA, arguing that counties where the party enjoys elected representation through governors, MPs and MCAs form its natural political territory.
“So we start with our areas where we have strongholds, where we have our governors, where we have our MPs, where we have our MCAs. Those are our zones automatically without negotiations, and we are saying that here in our area, we always take the leadership positions; why should you be shy?” he added.
In Nyanza, where ODM has historically dominated elections, any attempt by UDA to establish a serious foothold has often been met with resistance from local party leaders who view the region as the heart of the Orange movement.
The party appears keen to separate its engagement with the government from grassroots competition, especially in regions where ODM leaders believe they command overwhelming loyalty.
Dr Oburu Oginga called for unity across the party’s traditional support bases, saying the party intends to consolidate its influence in Western Kenya, North Eastern, Turkana, the Coast region and Maasai areas as it prepares for the next election cycle.
“We want to work with all strongholds of ODM: with Western, Northeastern, Turkana, Coast and Maasai-ini. We want to work all of us together,” he said.
While the party has supported the broad-based government on national issues, its leaders have warned that ODM will not allow UDA to benefit politically from the arrangement in areas where the party has invested for decades.
