Oburu Odinga’s 2027 bid picked up fresh momentum Thursday, as a vocal faction of ODM party faithful from Meru County threw their weight behind the veteran politician’s potential presidential run, joining a growing chorus across Kenya urging the Luo elder statesman to step into the national spotlight after his brother Raila Odinga’s final chapter.
The endorsement surfaced during a charged town hall at the Meru Golf Club, where over 200 ODM branch officials, drawn from the county’s tea-clad highlands, gathered under a canvas tent fluttering with party flags.
Led by Meru ODM chairperson Jack Munoru, the group passed a resolution calling on Oburu, 82, to “carry the torch of Azimio’s vision” into the 2027 polls.
“We’ve watched Raila’s fight for justice; now it’s Oburu’s turn to lead us all,” he declared, his voice cutting through the murmurs of agreement like a machete through underbrush.
The move marks a rare cross-regional push for the Bondo-born strategist, whose low-key advisory role has long shadowed his more flamboyant sibling.
Oburu Oginga, a diplomat turned political sage with stints as Kenya’s ambassador to the United States and a key architect of the 2010 constitution, has kept a studied silence on ambitions.
Whispers of his candidacy bubbled up months ago in Nyanza’s fishing villages, fuelled by Raila’s October 15 passing that left a leadership vacuum in ODM’s ranks.
Meru’s nod feels strategic: the county, a Kikuyu stronghold with lingering grudges from past election skirmishes, signals a bid for broader coalitions.
“We’re tired of Nairobi-centric politics,” added youth coordinator Peter Kirimi, 30, a former university agitator now rallying boda boda riders.
“Oburu brings wisdom without the drama. He unites, doesn’t divide.” The rally, timed just weeks after Raila’s state funeral, drew parallels to the late icon’s hustles.
Speakers invoked Oburu’s 1990s exile days, smuggling manifestos from Ugandan borders, and his quiet hand in brokering the 2008 power-sharing deal that averted deeper bloodletting.
“He’s the bridge we need,” echoed deputy organiser Miriam Kobia from Imenti North, who trekked hours to attend.
“He’s respected, but 2027 demands energy, not just elders,” one anonymous strategist texted from a lakeside cafe.
National chair Raila left a fluid party machine, but factions simmer: coastal barons versus Nyanza purists, with Meru’s olive branch testing waters for a pan-ethnic surge.
“Oburu’s bid could peel moderate Kikuyu votes, especially if Ruto’s taxes keep biting,” some noted in a mid-afternoon call.
One viral clip from the hall showed elders ululating to a spontaneous chorus of “Baba Oburu”, their joy a balm against October’s rainy gloom.
“Tell him Meru stands ready. Kenya needs his steady hand.” Oburu Oginga’s 2027 bid, once a parlour murmur, now echoes from highlands to horizons, a nod to legacy in a land hungry for healers over hotheads.