Winnie Odinga: No One Will Be Removed From ODM

East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Member of Parliament Winnie Odinga has dismissed suggestions that dissenting voices within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) risk being pushed out, insisting that nobody will be forced to leave the party. Winnie said the party has room for divergent views and that no directive had ever been issued by former Prime Minsiter Raila Odinga to remove any member. According to Winnie, the party must remain open and democratic if it intends to maintain its grassroots support and relevance ahead of future electoral contests. “Nobody will be removed from ODM. There is no day that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga told anyone to go away from the party. They say that we are questioning too many things in the party, and when we do so, they say we should leave the party. If we leave, who will they remain with?” Winnie said during a rally in Kibera on Sunday. “This party belongs to the people.” During the rally, Winnie hit out at a section of ODM leaders she says are serving their selfish interests and appear determined to keep her out of the party’s internal affairs, She warned that she will not remain silent when things go wrong within the Orange Democratic Movement. Winnie said she was aware of the resistance she faces from some quarters of the party but insisted she would continue speaking out, regardless of the discomfort it causes. The legislator, who is the daughter of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, told supporters that her role and upbringing compel her to call out wrongdoing whenever she sees it. Her sentiments comes days after, the party leader Oburu Oginga said ODM has no intention to expel any of its members. Oburu noted that ODM would leverage its size, nationwide structures and history to forge a formidable front as was the case during the reign of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. “As ODM, we must prepare ourselves, and that can only be achieved when we are together. We have no desire to chase anyone from ODM. If anyone wants to leave, they should do so willingly,” Oburu said. “As long as we have unity, we shall negotiate with other parties from a point of strength and not weakness. We are the biggest party in the country, and we cannot approach the negotiating table when we are weak.” Oburu said ODM welcomes internal debate but will move to safeguard organisational unity as part of its broader political strategy. He reiterated that the party remains firmly behind the broad-based government arrangement, which he said will remain in force until 2027. He also told party members that ODM would soon begin engaging other political parties, starting with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), with which it is currently working under the broad-based arrangement.