Kisumu: Siaya Senator and ODM party leader Oburu Odinga has abandoned earlier indications of a possible presidential bid and instead announced that he will defend his Senate seat in the 2027 General Election. Oburu made the declaration during a high-level consultative meeting that brought together ODM aspirants, party officials, and grassroots mobilisers from Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, and Migori counties in Kisumu.
According to Kenya News Agency, the announcement marks a significant political shift for the veteran politician, who had previously hinted that he was the party’s preferred presidential candidate by virtue of being ODM leader. His latest declaration effectively settles months of speculation over his political future while opening a new chapter in the succession and power dynamics within the Orange party ahead of the 2027 polls.
Addressing the aspirants, Oburu said his immediate priority would be strengthening ODM structures at the grassroots and safeguarding the party’s dominance in its traditional strongholds. ‘I will defend my position as Senator for Siaya,’ Oburu told the meeting, as leaders present broke into applause. He urged aspirants to focus on unity and party building instead of engaging in divisive early campaigns, warning that internal wrangles could weaken ODM at a time when rival political formations are aggressively courting support in the region.
The meeting also resolved to intensify grassroots mobilization, recruit new members, and streamline party operations across the four counties as ODM begins early preparations for the next General Election. The declaration is expected to trigger fresh political realignments in Siaya County, where several leaders had quietly begun positioning themselves for the Senate seat amid expectations that Oburu could pursue a presidential bid or retire from active politics.
Monday’s meeting further underscored ODM’s renewed focus on internal reorganization following months of turbulence linked to rival political factions and debates over the party’s future direction. Leaders attending the meeting said ODM would now shift attention from parallel mobilization campaigns to a unified grassroots strategy aimed at strengthening the party ahead of 2027.
Oburu, a long-serving politician and elder brother of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has in recent months led a series of consultative meetings across Nyanza aimed at reorganizing the party and rallying supporters behind the current ODM leadership. The Kisumu meeting brought together aspiring governors, senators, MPs, and MCAs from across the four counties, with leaders calling for discipline, loyalty, and early preparation as the political season gradually gathers momentum.
