Winnie Odinga Ignites ODM Firestorm: Calls for NDC Vote on "Complicated" Broad-Based Pact Amid Post-Raila Rifts

 t the Orange Democratic Movement's (ODM) 20th anniversary bash in Mombasa on November 15, 2025, Raila Odinga's daughter and EALA MP Winnie Odinga dropped a bombshell that exposed deepening fault lines in the party just one month after her father's death. Her pointed remark—"Broad-based relationship is complicated. We are wondering if those who are taking upon themselves to manage it now, are they capable?"—wasn't just a quip; it was a direct challenge to ODM figures cozying up to President William Ruto's unity government, urging a National Delegates Conference (NDC) to let grassroots members decide the party's fate. Delivered amid cheers at Mama Ngina Waterfront, the statement went viral on X, racking up thousands of views and sparking a frenzy of reactions from supporters hailing her as the "new voice of resistance" to critics branding her "inexperienced."Winnie's words capped a panel on youth empowerment during the three-day "20 Years of Resilience" festivities, postponed from October due to Raila's October 15 passing in India. She framed the broad-based government—Ruto's post-2022 protest olive branch that co-opted ODM luminaries like Treasury CS John Mbadi and Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen—as a "thorny" arrangement only her father could navigate. "When it came to the matter of this broad-based government, the people of ODM entrusted one person with the management of that relationship, and that person was Baba Raila Amollo Odinga," she declared, proposing an NDC to "go back to the people" and pick a successor—or scrap it altogether.This isn't sour grapes; it's strategic signaling. Raila's death has left ODM at a crossroads: Stay in the "broad-based" fold for policy influence and 2027 perks, or reclaim opposition fire to rally the base against Ruto's taxes and graft scandals? Winnie, echoing her Free Kenya Movement roots, leaned hard into the latter, warning against "boardroom deals" that could "sell the party." Her call aligns with hardliners like Siaya Governor James Orengo and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who slammed the pact as a "dangerous comfort zone" eroding ODM's accountability edge.The remark hit home—literally. Interim party leader Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga, Raila's elder brother, responded onstage with a mix of paternal deflection and defiance: "Mtoto yangu Winnie akisema Raila alikuwa hapo na sasa tutafute mwingine kusaidia kuendeleza hii broad-based government namwambia hio tutaongea na yeye kinyumbani" (My daughter Winnie says Raila was handling it, and now we're looking for someone else to continue this broad-based government—I'll talk to her about that at home). Oburu, endorsed as leader pending NDC ratification, vowed to "carry Raila's shield without fear," doubling down on the pact as Baba's unfinished business.

X lit up with memes and hot takes: Supporters like

@AlinurMohamed_

warned "hapa mbele maneno inaenda kuchemka mbaya sana" (things are about to boil badly), while skeptics like

@johnmark254

called it "confusing people." Embakasi East MP Babu Owino piled on, questioning Oburu's appointments and rallying for anti-Ruto protests over living costs.