Caroli Omondi: ODM is dead, Ruto now calls the shots in the party

Suba South Member of Parliament (MP) Caroli Omondi and a proponent of the budding pro-opposition Linda Mwananchi Movement has launched a scathing attack on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), declaring that the party founded by veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga has lost its identity and no longer exists as a genuine political force.

Speaking during an interview on Spice FM, Omondi claimed the party has abandoned the ideals and values that once defined it and is now effectively under the control of President William Ruto.

“To be frank, ODM is dead. There’s no more ODM except in name. A lot of people make the mistake that they think the party is the name. The party are the values you carry, the aspirations, the agenda, the work plans, the manifesto, and ODM has betrayed all those. This has been long coming,” he said.

The legislator argued that the ODM that emerged during the 2005 constitutional referendum bears little resemblance to the party that exists today.

According to Omondi, the transformation has been gradual, with the party being weakened from within by senior figures who, he claimed, served interests other than those of Raila and the movement he built.

“The ODM of 2005 and the ODM of the last 10 years are two entirely different animals,” he said.

He alleged that even while Raila remained at the helm, influential individuals within the party were actively working against him.

“Sometimes I used to ask him, where did you get these guys from? Many around Baba were working against Baba. There were many people around Baba in ODM, very senior and very loud and very close to him, but were agents of the state or agents of other political interests,” Omondi claimed.

Without naming the individual, he further alleged that one of those senior figures is currently negotiating for a Cabinet position ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The Suba South MP also claimed there is an ongoing political strategy to elevate Co-operatives and MSMEs Development Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya to the position of Deputy President, while other ODM-linked politicians are allegedly being lined up for Cabinet appointments.

According to Omondi, the plan is intended to create the impression that ODM is being revived, despite what he described as the party’s irreversible decline.

“That’s what they are planning. But ODM is dead,” he said.

Omondi further claimed that President Ruto has become the party’s de facto leader, alleging that ODM’s current leadership takes political direction from the Head of State.

“The de facto leader of ODM today is William Ruto. He gives them instructions, he tells them what to do, they answer to him through Farouk. A lot of members don’t know this,” he alleged.

The MP also argued that ODM’s grassroots structures have largely collapsed outside its traditional support base in Nyanza.

“There is no ODM in Western Kenya, in Coast, in Nairobi. ODM is now just appearing, making little appearances in some parts of Nyanza. And soon Linda Mwananchi will be in Homa Bay,” he said.

His remarks come at a time of growing political realignments following the broad-based cooperation between President Ruto and Raila, a relationship that has seen several ODM figures appointed to government positions and sparked debate over the party’s future role as an opposition outfit.

The comments are also likely to reignite debate over ODM’s political direction ahead of the 2027 General Election, with critics arguing that its cooperation with the Kenya Kwanza administration has blurred the distinction between government and opposition, while supporters maintain the engagement is aimed at advancing national unity and implementing key reforms.

Neither ODM nor the individuals mentioned by Omondi had publicly responded to his claims at the time of publication.