Nairobi ODM delegates endorse Winnie Odinga as Kibra delegate

The endorsement was made during a Nairobi ODM delegates’ meeting held at the JOOF and presided over by the party’s Nairobi county chairman George Aladwa, and attended by Winnie Odinga.

Aladwa said the Nairobi delegates had settled on Winnie Odinga as their representative, linking the decision to the party’s top leadership structure.

“Tume endorse Winnie Odinga kama mwakilishi wetu na kama one of the deputy leaders wa nyadhifa ya juu,” Aladwa said.

He said the endorsement was also informed by the need for the Nairobi region to agree on a common position ahead of the party’s meeting slated for later this month.

“Tuko na NDC yetu on Friday 27th, na kama delegates lazima tukubaliane vile tutaenda kwa hiyo mkutano,” he added.

Aladwa said Raila Odinga had previously been the Nairobi delegates’ representative, and that discussions had been ongoing for weeks on who would take up the role.

“Sisi kama Nairobi mwakilishi wadi wetu alikuwa Raila Odinga, na alitusaidia sana… kama watu wa Nairobi tumekuwa na vikao kwa miezi kama mbili tukisema kwamba tunataka kuwa na mwakilishi,” he said.

He added that Winnie Odinga will now represent Nairobi in the party’s top organs.

“Winnie atatuwakilisha kwenye NEC, region ya Nairobi na kwa central commitee,” Aladwa said.

The development comes amid divisions within ODM, with Aladwa — the Makadara MP and a vocal proponent of a broad-based government — saying the party needed to stabilise and rally its members.

According to the Nairobi delegates, the move to bring Winnie Odinga closer to the party’s leadership is intended to steady ODM, which they said has faced political turbulence in recent months.