Raila Junior Rallies Behind Winnie After Her Fiery Broad-Based Government Remarks
Raila Junior, the head of the family of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has come out strongly in defence of his sister Winnie Odinga amid growing internal tensions within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). His remarks come as the party grapples with widening cracks over how it should manage its cooperation with President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration under the broad-based government framework.
Speaking during the ODM founders’ dinner on Saturday, 15 November 2025, Raila Junior insisted that the Odinga family remained united and resilient despite decades of political persecution. He framed the unfolding friction within ODM as part of a long struggle inherited from their father, Raila Odinga, and their grandfather, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
Junior said the family was firmly backing Winnie — currently serving as a Member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) — as she embarks on what he described as a defining political journey.
“The Odingas, we are one big family, and we are strong. We have a dream that was there from before, from Jaramogi to Baba, and we are still fighting for this dream,” he told attendees.
“We are together as one family because I am strong, and even Winnie, my sister, is also strong. She has started her journey, and we will be with her, holding her hands,” he added, signalling full familial endorsement of her recent controversial stance.
Winnie Odinga Sparks Internal Storm
Raila Junior’s intervention followed heated reactions to comments made earlier the same day by Winnie Odinga during the ODM at 20 celebration in Mombasa. Winnie openly challenged the current leadership’s handling of the party’s relationship with State House, calling for an urgent National Delegates Conference (NDC) to determine the way forward.
She argued that in the absence of Raila Odinga — who has historically guided ODM’s engagements with successive administrations — only the party’s grassroots delegates could be trusted to make such consequential decisions.
“When it came to the matter of the broad-based government, the people of ODM trusted one person to manage that complicated relationship; that person is Baba Raila Odinga,” she said.
“That relationship is complicated, and the people taking it upon themselves to manage it now — are they capable of managing that relationship? That is a question for the people to answer,” she added.
Winnie insisted that the matter must be returned to the party’s membership. “It is why I am requesting we go back to the people and see who the people will pick to handle that relationship. We need to go back to the people and have an NDC and see who the people want to pick to manage that relationship.”
Her remarks have unsettled several senior ODM figures, many of whom view her proposal as a direct challenge to the party’s current leadership structures.
Oburu Odinga Calls for Dialogue
In response to the bubbling tensions, ODM party leader Senator Oburu Oginga said the family would address the issue internally. He noted that while Winnie’s concerns merited discussion, they would first be handled at the family level before broader party consultations.
The Odinga family has long been at the heart of ODM’s identity and leadership, and the latest developments highlight growing debates over the party’s future direction following Raila Odinga’s reduced public involvement.
Also Read: Chaos Erupts in ODM as Joho and Abdulswamad Go Head-to-Head in Explosive Coast Power Fight
Raila Junior Rallies Behind Winnie After Her Fiery Broad-Based Government Remarks