ODM is open to Ruto. Picking Wanga as Running Mate, In a seismic hint at Kenya’s fluid political chessboard, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has signalled the opposition party’s willingness to back a 2027 ticket pairing President William Ruto with Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, framing it as a unity play to heal ethnic rifts and chase economic wins.
The revelation, dropped casually during a coastal youth forum in Nyali, just days after Raila Odinga’s graveside tributes, shows ODM’s pragmatic pivot under the late icon’s shadow.
Nassir, the party’s rising Luo voice with a knack for bridging divides, quipped to a crowd of 500-plus Gen Z hustlers, “If Ruto sees wisdom in Wanga as his number two, ODM won’t block the path – it’s about Kenya’s table, not egos.”
The buzz erupted like a Mombasa monsoon, with Nassir’s words – captured in a TikTok clip – rippling from Kilifi’s fishing dhows to Nairobi’s boardrooms.
Wanga, the 47-year-old dynamo who’s turned Homa Bay into a lakeside powerhouse with Sh2 billion in fish-processing plants and youth saccos, embodies the fresh face ODM craves post-Raila.
“Gladys isn’t just competent; she’s connective tissue.” Nassir elaborated in a post-forum huddle with journos, his salt-and-pepper beard framing a grin.
“Ruto needs Western and Nyanza locked; Wanga delivers without the baggage.” This ODM openness to Ruto picking Wanga as a running mate tease arrives amid Raila’s lingering echo – his March 2025 handshake thawed old feuds, landing ODM ministers in cabinet, but his October 15 death left a void wider than Lake Victoria.
Does Oburu Odinga’s weekend plea for no 2027 rush make sense? Nassir’s nod flips it: pragmatism over pause. Wanga’s credentials stack high – a former Citibank whiz turned governor, she’s slashed maternal deaths 25% in Homa Bay via mobile clinics and greenlit Sh500 million in avocado exports, per county audits.
Ruto watchers see her as a shield against Mt Kenya’s Gachagua gripes, blending Luo loyalty with Kalenjin-Kisii appeal. Critics, though, smell opportunism.
UDA hardliners like Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi fired back, saying, “ODM shopping for scraps? Wanga’s ours – Ruto picks winners, not whispers.”