Odingas slam Tutam chants in ODM as family elders Ruth and Oburu Odinga fire sharp warnings against premature election posturing, insisting the party’s current coalition role demands strategic silence over slogans.
Speaking at separate rallies in Kisumu and Siaya this week, the siblings of opposition icon Raila Odinga stressed that cries of “Tutam” or “We are coming” risk diluting ODM’s leverage ahead of the 2027 polls, amid whispers of internal rifts and youth-driven renewal.
Their interventions come as the Orange Democratic Movement navigates its uneasy place in President William Ruto’s broad-based cabinet, balancing reform pushes with long-term power plays.
Ruth Odinga, Kisumu Woman Representative and a vocal guardian of her brother’s legacy, laid into the trend during a fiery address to party faithful at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Stadium. “Shouting Tutam right now will not add any value to the ODM Party,” she declared, her voice cutting through cheers and murmurs alike.
She painted a vivid picture of betrayal, accusing some members of exploiting Raila’s hard-won influence to cozy up to Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance too soon. “You cannot, as a member of the ODM Party in the broad-based government, start shouting Tutam. What would be your negotiating edge post-2027?” Ruth pressed, urging cadres to prioritize service delivery over street theater.
The timing feels electric, just months after Raila Odinga’s high-stakes handshake with Ruto thawed decades of frost and landed ODM five cabinet slots, including key portfolios in Interior and Mining.
Yet, that truce has bred suspicions. Ruth’s salvo targets figures like Mombasa Senator Abdulswamad Nassir, accused of testing waters for a deputy presidency under Ruto by echoing “Tutam” at pro-government forums.
“Some politicians took advantage of Raila Odinga,” she lamented, vowing to shield the party’s autonomy from “stomach-driven” opportunists.
Analysts see this as a bid to reclaim narrative control, especially with Raila eyeing an African Union chair bid that could sideline him from domestic fray. Oburu Odinga, Raila’s elder brother and ODM’s interim chairperson since August, doubled down from Bondo, his tone laced with prophetic edge.
“We cannot be making our party strong just to get the deputy position with Ruto. We have not negotiated anything with UDA,” he stated flatly at a youth forum, dismissing alliance rumors as “poisonous fiction.”
But Oburu went further, dropping a bombshell on succession: “Our Luo leader will emerge from these young people and will not be among pro-Raila and will not be from us in current ODM leadership.”
It’s a seismic nod to generational shift, spotlighting rising stars like Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Siaya Senator Tom Ojienda, who blend street cred with policy chops.
Oburu’s visit to ODM headquarters earlier this week, his first as acting leader, shows the pivot, where he huddled with executives to map a “merit-based” ticket system free of family favoritism.
This Odingas slam Tutam chants in ODM moment exposes fault lines in a party born from 2005’s ethnic coalitions but now grappling with urban youth disillusionment.
Gen Z turnout in 2022 barely scraped 30 percent in Luo strongholds, per IEBC data, fueling calls for fresh blood over “pro-Raila” relics.
Oburu’s youth endorsement echoes Raila’s own 2022 pivot to bottom-up economics, yet it irks old guard loyalists who view the family as ODM’s North Star.
Broader stakes loom large for Kenya’s opposition landscape. With Ruto’s approval dipping to 42 percent amid tax hikes and floods, ODM’s coalition perch offers leverage for probes into Goldenberg-era ghosts or housing scandals.
But premature “Tutam” echoes could fracture the Azimio la Umoja front, handing UDA a free ride to 2027. Ruth hinted at an exit strategy: “I will leave the broad-based government if it goes in the wrong direction,” signaling readiness to rally Nyanza’s 2 million voters against perceived sellouts.
As October rains lash the lakeside, ODM branches buzz with strategy sessions. Youth wings in Homa Bay and Migori pledge to scout “non-pro-Raila” talents via primaries, while elders like Ruth and Oburu host town halls to mend fences.