Why Oburu was quickly installed as ODM party leader after Raila’s death - Junet

Suna East Member of Parliament Junet Mohamed has defended the swift installation of Siaya Senator Dr. Oburu Oginga as the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader following the death of his brother, Raila Odinga, saying the move was necessary to safeguard the party’s stability and prevent internal turmoil.

Speaking on Citizen TV’s JKLive show on Wednesday night, Junet described ODM as more than an ordinary political outfit, likening it to a small government that must have continuity at all times.

He insisted that the party could not afford a leadership vacuum, arguing that ODM’s stature in national politics demands order and structure, especially during periods of transition.

“In politics, ODM is a small government. You’ve seen when a president dies, the vice president is normally sworn in even before the president’s body is taken to the mortuary. So ODM is another government. You can’t leave ODM hanging loose like that. Anything can happen,” Junet said.

“ODM is not any other party; it’s not a joke. It’s an institution that governs this country on its own. So, when the leader dies, we don’t want commotions and fights here and there. So, we have to install the person we thought could take us through this period.”

Addressing concerns about possible party mergers, Junet argued that Kenya’s current political environment favours coalitions rather than the swallowing of smaller parties, citing the fate of Jubilee Party, where small factions were absorbed in 2013, as a cautionary tale.

The outspoken MP thus dismissed claims that ODM is positioning itself to be absorbed by the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), terming such assertions misleading.

“Those are fake opinions because how do you give yourself to another party?” he said when asked about accusations that ODM was “giving itself” to UDA.

“You don’t need to swallow any party, when Jubilee swallowed other parties, and they swallowed 14 parties before the election of 2017, it turned up now becoming a shell.”

According to Junet, the 2010 Constitution reshaped political engagement by encouraging coalition-building based on shared strengths rather than forced mergers.

“The currency, or the politics of today, and the new Constitution, is coalition building. You build coalitions, you look at the strength of this party and the strength of the other party, they come together, and they form a government,” he said.

He warned that any attempt by one party to dominate or absorb another would likely backfire.

“The swallowing is not anything that favours anyone. And if one were to swallow the other, I don’t think the end result will be good,” added the National Assembly Minority Leader.