ODM party leader Raila Odinga with other ODM party leaders during celebrations to mark ODM 20 years in existence. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]
Western leaders vow to keep Orange party's fire burning
Western
By
Bernard Lusigi
| Oct 19, 2025
As former Prime Minister and ODM party leader Raila Odinga exits the political stage, he leaves behind a powerful legacy as the de facto leader of Kenya’s Western region. For over a decade, his leadership ensured ODM’s dominance across the region.
As the country prepares to lay Raila to rest on Sunday, his death is expected to significantly shape the region’s political future and the party’s standing in his absence. ODM has historically enjoyed sweeping support in Western Kenya, often winning parliamentary and county seats. But with Raila gone, questions now arise about the party’s ability to retain its support base.
Despite this uncertainty, ODM leaders and officials have vowed to uphold unity and defend the party’s influence. They warned political rivals not to misread Raila’s absence as the end of ODM. “Our party leader had a special bond with the Mulembe people. When Raila visited Kakamega in August, he declared that Kakamega and the entire Western region would remain ODM. We will ensure his spirit lives on,” said Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa during a candlelight vigil at the county headquarters.
READ MORE
Mombasa- Juba corridor grapples with rising costs and security fears
Kisumu port records significant growth
Why investors are rushing to Mweiga
Africa's crypto infrastructure to improve as blockchain adoption grows
Experts assess tea factories set to produce orthodox tea for Chinese market
MMFs lose dominance as more investors seek higher returns
Report: Public debt payments starving hospitals and schools
Cloud revolution in Kenya's Sh17tr engine powered by local talent
State bets on agribusiness to create more jobs for the youth
The future of the workplace and how employees can prepare for it
Barasa, who also serves as ODM County Chairperson, dismissed claims that the party’s fortunes would fade. “The King is gone, but the spirit and crown are alive. We will come back stronger and continue Baba’s legacy of a formidable democratic party,” he stated.
He credited Raila with transforming Western Kenya politically through his democratic vision and fight for devolution. “The best way to honour him is to defend ODM’s dominance and keep the region firmly under the party’s umbrella,” he added.
Raila championed the 2010 Constitution and was a key proponent of devolved governance and equitable resource distribution, values ODM leaders now pledge to protect.
Facing renewed competition from DAP-K, Ford-Kenya, DNA, and President Ruto’s UDA, ODM Deputy Party Leader and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi insisted the party remains deeply rooted and resilient.
“Removing ODM from Luhyaland will take a political bulldozer. Those expecting the party to collapse without Raila are in for a rude shock,” Osotsi said.
He added that ODM’s strength lies in its well-established grassroots structures and commitment to ordinary Kenyans. “Raila’s death has not weakened us, it has united us even more to protect his legacy.”
Osotsi also called out some ODM leaders sowing division after recent party elections in Trans Nzoia, Bungoma, Vihiga, and Kakamega. “If you have benefited from this party and now have a different agenda, please leave peacefully,” he said.
Ali Machani, Bungoma ODM Chair and Marakani MCA, echoed the unity message, stating the loss has only strengthened party resolve. “Though physically shaken, we’re spiritually strong. We’ll intensify mobilisation and registration efforts to solidify our support base across the region.”
For the past 20 years, Raila commanded unwavering loyalty from Western voters—often surpassing support for local leaders. Historian Peter Nabongo Mumia II credited Raila’s principled stand and advocacy for the poor as the reason he remained popular.
“He championed farming, equitable national resource sharing, and regional appointments more than some of our own leaders. That’s why the people loved him,” Mumia noted.
In the last election, ODM secured three out of four governor seats in Kakamega, Bungoma, and Vihiga, alongside one senator and 60 per cent of parliamentary and county assembly positions, an achievement party leaders are determined to build on, not lose.
Share this story