Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Oburu Oginga has declared that he will be the party’s presidential candidate should ODM opt to contest the 2027 General Election on its own, insisting the matter is already settled by the party’s constitution.
Speaking during a New Year address to Kenyans, Oburu said the ODM constitution is explicit that the party leader automatically becomes its presidential candidate if the party decides to go it alone.
“If we are going it alone, I want to make it absolutely clear that our constitution already has a presidential candidate for our party. That presidential candidate is clearly stated in the constitution of our party, and it is the party leader. I am the party leader speaking. I am the presidential candidate for ODM if ODM decides to go it alone,” Oburu said.
He warned party members against harbouring parallel presidential ambitions within ODM, stating that anyone seeking the presidency under a different arrangement should look elsewhere.
“Anybody who is preparing himself to go for the presidential election in ODM is misplaced. If they want to go for a presidential candidacy, they should look for another party. This particular party’s presidential candidacy is already decided by its own constitution.”
Oburu dismissed claims that ODM has been weakened or “sold” to other political formations, insisting the party remains strong, grassroots-based, and intact ahead of the 2027 polls. He described 2026 as a decisive year in which the party will make a final determination on whether to run independently or enter into a coalition.
“As we move forward, we are going to decide whether we go it alone or we go with other parties. If we decide to go it alone, we are there. Anybody who is saying ODM is sold to other parties is daydreaming. ODM is strong, it is kicking, it is up, and it is not about to be sold. It will never be sold. If it were to be sold, I do not know at what price,” he said.
He added that the party’s deep roots make it impossible to trade away.
“This party is too big to be sold to anybody. I do not know if there is anybody in Kenya who can afford the price of ODM. It would be too much, too expensive for them, because the party goes down to the grassroots, to the last person.”
Reflecting on 2025, Oburu described the year as one marked by both progress and loss. He paid tribute to the late ODM party leader Raila Odinga, describing him as both a national figure and his younger brother, and said the loss had profoundly affected the party and the country.
Despite the setback, Oburu said ODM had remained united and continued to make significant strides following Raila’s death.
He also clarified ODM’s current relationship with the Kenya Kwanza administration, noting that while the party is part of a broad-based arrangement with the government, it is not in a formal coalition.
“We are not fully integrated into the government. We are just in a broad-based arrangement, not even a coalition,” he said.
With the 2027 election cycle beginning to take shape, Oburu’s remarks are expected to intensify debate within ODM, party unity, and the strategic direction the party will take in the post-Raila era.
