Grapevine

By Standard Media
Jul 24, 2024

The war in ODM: Raila's moment of truth amid a tower of babel

ODM leader Raila Odinga. [File, Standard]

The ongoing nationwide protests might have crumbled President William Ruto’s proposed taxes and part of his Cabinet, but its spiral effect is rapidly threatening opposition leader Raila Odinga’s mighty ODM party.

A disastrous handling of the Gen Z-led demos has opened a surreal nightmare for the ODM chief and reopened sibling rivalries that have been simmering in the Orange party since losing the 2022 elections.

The Standard has established that the party is split with some members pushing to watch from afar as Ruto’s administration gets battered, while others want the party to help the president restore calm.

This is compounded by the huge appetite for plum Cabinet slots by some of Raila’s allies who are leading an internal push for the party to seal a deal with Kenya Kwanza.