Inside Oketch Salah's fast-growing political clout

He cuts the figure of a polished businessman and a man unafraid to take risks, but enjoying the trappings of power and the posh life that money can attract. But beneath this demeanour, mystery surrounds the identity of political operative Oketch Salah and his sudden rise to political stardom.

In the last three months, he has been a mainstay in the country’s political architecture, enjoying the company of the country’s political elite as he makes his own baby steps into the murky waters of politics and pulling strings for ODM.

Within that short period, Salah, whose entry into the public limelight came barely a few months ago and peaked during the death of former ODM leader Raila Odinga, is a man of the moment, oozing power, influence, and political wisdom, as per his allies in ODM and groupings of supporters his political magnet has attracted.

His close proximity to the who’s who on the continent, including Zimbabwean President Emerson Mnangagwa, President William Ruto during a meeting with the ODM’s top brass, among others, has only been icing on the cake.

Political presence

Flashing his characteristic smile, the bulky man with roots from Migori cannot be ignored in the country’s political space.

He has talked himself into relevance within a very short period and anchored his rise on the late Raila’s political coat.

If a list of Raila’s coattailers were to be drafted, Salah’s name would probably feature among his last recruits.

He has been omnipresent, loud, and has depicted himself as the custodian of Raila’s last thoughts and instructions to his multitude of followers.

But unlike others in that league who were renowned politicians and political brokers, Salah was barely known to the public until Raila’s last days on earth. He was not a politician until just recently, when he ventured into an ambitious drive to help ODM revive its grassroots support.

Pictures of him enjoying meals with Raila, dancing with the late ODM leader, and spending quality time with the departed political stalwart elated Raila’s supporters. In Raila’s political strongholds, winning Raila’s confidence and being able to spend time with him was a dream that even ODM leaders struggled to achieve.

Most of them would marvel at the prospects of just taking a picture or a selfie with Raila. Those pictures formed part of their campaign messaging, and it was uncommon to see politicians flooding their social media pages with pictures they took with Raila, with very long captions.

And this is the proximity that Salah enjoyed. The pictures he took with Raila and the few public appearances he had with the former ODM chief turned him into a voice of credibility in ODM.

Party influence

In ODM, he has managed to successfully bulldoze his way into the heart of the party’s leadership and is now among those burning the midnight oil and spending a fortune to revamp the party’s grassroots support.

So dedicated is Salah that barely a week passes before he leads a popularity drive on behalf of the ODM party. He has the ear of the new party leader Oburu Oginga and is among the close circle helping him in his attempts to steady the ship. But who is Oketch Salah?

In the recent past, he has identified himself as Raila’s adopted son; some have claimed he was Raila’s personal doctor, while those in the gold business know him as a tycoon who has pulled strings to help shape the country’s gold industry.

Last week, Oketch added another layer of mystery to the claim that he was Raila’s adopted son after he referred to Raila’s widow, Ida Odinga, as his sister. Generally, many had expected him to identify Ida as his adopted mother if his past claims on Raila are anything to go by.

In a Facebook post in response to a TV interview by Raila’s younger daughter Winnie Odinga, where Winnie appeared to disown him as her adopted brother, Salah referred to Ida as his sister, and in the same post also referred to Winnie as his younger sister.

“I had a respectful discussion with my sister from Migori, Her Excellency Ambassador Min Piny, Mama Ida Odinga,” said Salah. However, his post attracted pockets of criticism from users who claimed that his positions on his relationship with Raila were misleading.

In Migori, residents claim they know him as a philanthropic son of the soil who grew up in the town and is among several traders of Somali origin who have made a fortune in the area.

Just like a few other non-natives, the man who straddles tall and oozes authority speaks fluently in Luo and has mastered his way of moving the masses.

Political clout

His social media pages have been abuzz with activity. Videos of him making claims about what Raila told him have also been circulating online.

“One thing that Raila once told me that I have now seen happening is about Sifuna. He once told me to forget about Sifuna, saying he was closely observing him and that he might be someone’s mole, and it has now begun to show. Sifuna has begun to show that indeed he was being used by someone, just like Raila told me,” he said.

But Salah is not just an ordinary political operative. He is moneyed and willing to spend it. This perhaps explains the reason the last one month has been a beehive of political activity. From flying choppers, dishing out cash, and supporting ODM’s grassroots activities, Salah is living the dream of many politicians.

For instance, on January 14, he announced he offered Sh2 million to victims whose houses were demolished in Kibra and Langata in Nairobi. He has also promised members of Bunge la Wananchi in Jacaranda Sh50,000.

Similarly, last week, Salah, while addressing party supporters from South Rift, claimed he is financially prepared to buy out delegates to back Oburu’s bid as the party leader in a National Delegates Convention.

“When we go to the National Delegates Conference (NDC), if anyone tries to bribe you, just know we have the money. If they try to bribe you, do not agree. We have the money. Do not be bribed by anyone. If anyone wants to bribe you so that they vote against Dr Oburu, come to me and ask me for money,” he said.

Early this week, Salah, alongside Oburu’s son Jaoko Oburu, rallied residents of Kericho in an event he described as the activation of ODM’s grassroots structures.

During the meeting, Salah met ODM delegates clad in matching ODM colours. According to a delegate who attended the meeting, Salah played an integral role in planning for the meeting and is making personal sacrifices to revive the party.

“Salah is a good man. He is using his resources to rebuild ODM, and it is important that we support him,” says a delegate from Kericho.

Mixed reactions

But not everyone is buying the Salah narrative. Within Raila’s family, Winnie Odinga and his brother Junior have openly criticised Salah.

While Winnie claimed he should be investigated, Junior dismissed some of his claims as nonsense.

Still, within ODM, a section of leaders believes he is among those leading the party into a political abyss by pushing coalition talks with UDA.

In Migori, however, residents say he has been one of the few individuals who have defied odds, including racial lines, to become successful in business. Also in the list is Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, who also began his career as a businessman before transitioning into politics.

“His family has been doing business in Migori for several decades and he has been part of us,” says Moses Ouko, a resident.

According to residents, his family had the first bakery in Migori that served residents for several years since the 1970s. Salah is also believed to have attended Ombo Primary School in Migori, where he polished his understanding of the Luo language.

Questions, however, still remain about what brought Salah close to Raila. Although answers are still hard to come by, one thing is definite, Oketch Salah has weaved his way to the heart of the country’s politics.

Efforts to get a comment from Salah were futile.