Raila Odinga must be laughing with joy as he sees those who have been hoping to crowd his grave with a dead ODM party buried there too failing miserably as Oburu and ODM team are taking the party to new levels with incredible groundwork and sense of unity and putting the country first in their agenda.
Just great work so far and the forthcoming talks with UDA puts ODM in centre stage in Kenya politics going forward.
Oburu said the party is “soldiering on with pride and strength” while intensifying grassroots mobilization to enhance its bargaining power in looming coalition talks/Oburu Odinga.
He said the party will ensure its place in government “through the front door” rather than via informal arrangements ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Speaking on Sunday in Kakamega County during the ODM Linda Ground County Tour, Oburu said the party is “soldiering on with pride and strength” while intensifying grassroots mobilization to enhance its bargaining power in looming coalition talks.
“We are moving forward with pride and we are moving forward with strength. We are increasing our membership so that when we sit at the table with others, we speak with authority,” Oburu said.
“If we are many, we will be strong; if we are few, we will be weak.”
He urged party supporters, particularly the youth, to register as ODM members and acquire national identity cards and voter cards, stressing that political power ultimately rests on numbers.
Oburu emphasized the importance of Western Kenya to ODM’s future, describing the region as a pillar of the party.
He assured residents that leaders from the region would be fully represented in any negotiations with other political parties.
“As we continue to talk, it is a must that people from Western Kenya will be at the table where negotiations take place,” he said.
Alliance talks
The ODM leader noted party had mandated him to initiate talks with other political formations, making it clear that ODM would only engage from a position of strength.
“We entered this government through the window,” Oburu remarked, referring to the current broad-based arrangement.
“But the one that is coming, we will enter through the door. We will negotiate and ensure we have more power than we currently have.”
He maintained that while the existing broad-based government arrangement is limited, ODM’s goal is full and proper representation in future administrations through a power-sharing deal that reflects the party’s national support.
“We must share power. We cannot be spectators,” he said.
Oburu’s remarks in Kakamega followed similar comments made a day earlier in Busia County, where he vowed to lead tough negotiations with the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), warning that ODM would not accept a lopsided deal.
“We are the biggest party in the country, and we cannot be given peanuts,” he said in Busia. “What our people have been denied in the past must now be delivered.”
He described Busia as a stronghold of ODM, noting its leading role in party membership registration and past electoral performance, and said the county symbolizes the party’s deep grassroots roots.
Oburu said ODM’s negotiation team would be inclusive and drawn from across the country to conduct what he termed “very tough negotiations” ahead of 2027.
His comments come amid indications of structured engagement between ODM and UDA, after UDA’s National Executive Committee recently mandated President William Ruto to initiate talks aimed at a possible coalition.
Winnie Odinga was in Kibra holding a rally to honour her father and some people want to translate that as a rebellion by Winnie against the ODM leadership at the moment, but they forget one thing. Winnie Odinga spent her entire time in that Kibra rally urging people to support ODM and work hard to make sure ODM is in government come August 10, 2027.
While addressing the ongoing wrangles within the ODM party, with fears that some rebel members are on the verge of being kicked out, Winnie insisted that no one will be expelled from the Orange party.
”Hakuna mtu atatolewa kwenye hiki chama. Wanaongea sana na tukiwauliza maswali wanasema tutoke kwenye chama. Tukitoka watabaki na nani kwenye hiki chama? Hiki chama ni cha wanannchi, tukitoka wanannchi wanaenda,” Winnie said.
Winnie Odinga had a great rally talking to the crowd which was full of young people. She was asking them what they want ODM and the government to do for them. The crowd was yelling they want jobs and they want to do business. Winnie asked the women in the crowd what they need to move on with their lives. They told her they want business and jobs.
They asked her to fight for compensation for victims of state violence and Winnie told them she will take that message to the ODM leadership. This was a great conversation between Kenyans and their leaders. Let it continue.
That is the message the entire ODM leadership has been telling their party members and the whole country. Those waiting for ODM to expel Edwin Sifuna from ODM so there is a war between the Luhyas and the Luos in ODM will have to wait till 2050 and they may have that luck. ODM is too smart to fall in that trap.
There are the political opportunists who are trying to twist Winnie’s rally in Kibra as some kind of a different faction in ODM. Maybe they should listen to what Winnie Odinga actually talked about in that rally because there is nothing like that in the very lively discussion she had with Kenyans.
And the ODM big guy Finance CS John Mbadi is doing his best by starting public participation in the Finance Bill for the first time in the country.
We don’t intend to increase taxes on Kenyans, says CS Mbadi
Cabinet Secretary for Treasury and Economic Planning John Mbadi has stated that the government will not continue to increase taxes on Kenyans to fund developmental projects.
Mbadi, who spoke during a privatisation forum held at the Migori Teachers’ Training College (TTC), said that the government cannot continue overburdening Kenyans with more taxes, and will instead look for alternative ways, like privatisation of government parastatals and selling off government-owned companies’ shares to generate more cash for development as well as make Kenya’s industry competitive in the region.
He disclosed that the sale of a 15 per cent stake in Safaricom was intended to unlock resources for long-term infrastructure projects, with the proceeds from the sale expected to be used to support infrastructure investments, such as roads, without increasing the national debt or raising taxes on Kenyans.
He also explained that the proposed privatisation of Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) will unlock billions to enhance Kenya’s regional competitiveness and economic growth.
“Privatisation is intended to create more wealth and expand the business environment beyond Kenya by making it an economic hub in the region”, he said.
The forum, which was attended by the public, various civil organizations and the students’ union from Migori, urged the CS to consider the public participation views with utmost respect to implement their opinion.
Mbadi, however, noted that he will welcome constructive feedback on the public financial management practices and policy framework that informs the budgetary process.
Murang’a County marks one year of Telemedicine services
The impact of telemedicine technology is being felt across the health facilities in Murang’a County following the reduced queues.
Governor Irungu Kang’ata said in the past year, the long queues that formed in the health facilities had significantly reduced after 35 health facilities across the 35 wards were connected with the internet to allow the health workers to engage with patients.
Speaking at Kibio Primary School, to celebrate the first anniversary since the launch of the Telemedicine Service, Kang’ata said Safaricom facilitated a free medical camp where more than 3,000 people received specialised treatment.
“Presently, the long queues at Murang’a Level Five Hospital are no more as the patients with the chronic disease are connected to the doctors online, to ensure they do not travel long distances to seek health services,” said Kang’ata.
One of the beneficiaries of the free medical camp, Lincon Mwangi, lauded the organisers of the medical camp, saying the residents were treated and satisfied.
Others who were present and attended echoed similar sentiments and lauded efforts by Murang’a County in health Care provision.
What Governor Irungu Kang’ata is doing in Murang’a is revolutionary in healthcare service in our country and should be embraced by all governors in our 47 counties.
At another level Kenyans are getting tired of court cases blocking services to them forever while those court fights never achieve anything for them.
What is happening in Murang’a is just the best way to deliver public health services in rural communities where sick and dying people travel long distances mostly on foot to reach medical services they desperately need.
If you have diarrhea and you have to walk for hours to get to a health centre, you are going to diarrhea to death before you get there. That is how our health system is today. You get cholera and you pass it to everyone going to get healthcare.
We are in a different age technologically and Kenyans need to use it in health services more than anything else. In my hometown Bondo I was very impressed with AMREF health services. AMREF nurses use motor bikes to go to patients and they have medications and the equipment to do blood tests for malaria, typhoid and all those bad things. They handle that on the spot.
If we can combine online health support services with motor bike health workers equipped with resources going where those who need their services are with building health camps in rural areas for people to access health services then forget about Level 5 and Level 6 hospitals because you are talking about Level 10 healthcare services for majority of Kenyans who live in the rural communities across the country. That can’t be bad, can it?
Finally I really like Busia Senator Omatatah. In fact he has been my choice for the presidency in 2027.
Read: Okiya Omtatah Could Be Kenya’s First Real President Since Independence
So I am a great supporter of Okiya Omatatah but when people are dying because you are blocking health services to them you have to pay attention to that. Please.
Adongo Ogony is a Human Rights Activist and a Writer who lives in Toronto, Canada
