Millie Odhiambo: Winnie Odinga Needs Time to Grieve, Cannot Bear Political Pressure Alone
Babu Owino added that ODM must remain accountable to the people, asserting that the party must be ready to mobilize public action if the government reneges on its promises.
MP Millie recognised that the death of Raila has left a gap which cannot be filled overnight. Photo/courtesy
By Ruth Sang
Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo has urged that the Odinga family still needs time to mourn the loss of Raila Odinga and cannot meet public expectations regarding ODM leadership and its future direction right now.
According to MP Millie, Winnie Odinga, Raila’s daughter and a close confidante of her late father, should be given time to grieve while adapting to the enormous political responsibilities that may soon rest on her shoulders. “We want to make the Odingas superhuman. Winnie is a young woman who has lost her father, someone she deeply loved. Grief is profound, and no one can rush that process,” Millie said during an appearance on NTV’s Fixing the Nation program.
The legislator observed that Winnie is trying to navigate the tight political terrain of ODM, which has recently experienced internal dissent and increasing pressure on Raila’s elder brother Oburu Oginga, 82, who was elected the party’s new leader. “She is concerned that some members may question his leadership because it seems rushed. She supports the new leadership structure but believes it must be validated properly so it does not appear imposed,” Millie explained.
Winnie has already shown this in the just concluded ODM 20th-anniversary celebrations held in Mombasa, proving she is a true disciple of her father and may well carry his political mantle. However, MP Millie recognised that the death of Raila has left a gap which cannot be filled overnight. “Many people who believed in justice, democracy, and the values which Baba stood for, are now orphaned. The road to healing will be bumpy and this is normal,” she said.
Millie says, however, that even though there are capable leaders who have grown under his mentorship, finding a successor with Raila’s influence and charisma will take time. Such people include Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff, Mining CSs Hassan Joho and John Mbadi, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino. “Raila groomed many capable people. The mistake is expecting another Baba in every leader. We should recognize their individual strengths; in time, the right leadership will emerge,” she added.
Millie further lamented the problems ODM are facing due to internal divisions, as some support the broad-based government in line with Raila’s cooperation with President William Ruto, while others have suggested the party revise its strategy before the 2027 elections. She cited Senator Sifuna, for instance, mentioning that Nairobi requires a different way of doing politics and that a rigid promotion of the broad-based agenda may be destructive in an urban setting.
Winnie, together with Sifuna and Babu Owino, perceived as fronting a potential splinter faction, has called for a democratic process on the way forward of the party. Winnie stated that the people, not a few leaders, should decide who controls ODM’s relationship with the expanded government. “Raila was the only one trusted with that responsibility. The party must now go back to the people through an NDC to decide who should advance that relationship,” she said. Babu Owino added that ODM must remain accountable to the people, asserting that the party must be ready to mobilize public action if the government reneges on its promises.
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