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SCOOP: Raila in dilemma as Oparanya turns on Wandayi.
ODM Party Leader Raila Odinga is in a tight spot as two of his “experts” jostle for power, the Kenyan Report can now reveal.
The simmering tensions between CS Wycliffe Oparanya and CS Opiyo Wandayi now threaten to split the ODM Party down the middle.
At issue is CS Oparanya’s insistence that the matter of cabinet slots given to the ODM Party should be renegotiated to reflect seniority in ODM, where he says he’s the No.2 after Raila Odinga.
Oparanya maintains Raila had appointed him the Treasury CS designate had Azimio won the 2022 election and therefore any arrangement which finds ODM inside government should reflect that reality.
Oparanya had wanted to be appointed Treasury CS which Mr. Odinga is said to have agreed to but President Ruto had declined, having preferred John Mbadi.
Oparanya now demands to head Energy, seen as a lucrative ministry.
Whereas Wandayi seems helpless in the matter as the decision to shuffle him can only come from Raila Odinga, he is said to be a deeply worried man.
Wandayi’s problems are compounded by the fact that his performance at Energy is largely seen as below average with Oparanya using that to leverage his hostile takeover of the Energy ministry.
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Ruto confirmed to every Kenyan that If you have a presidential ambition, please focus on your campaign solely b/c when you win you can and will always buy Raila Odinga and his supporters. They stand for nothing
Raila Odinga: I am going nowhere. I will not abandon Ruto because I know where we are heading to. We will walk together in unity to reach our destination.
We have taken a very bold step by working with the Kenya Kwanza government. We do not have to stay or let our people stay in the cold all the time. Anytime we find a chance that can change the lives of our people, we take it.
The Standard newspaper has issued a scathing response to ODM leader Raila Odinga following his criticism of a headline that pointed at him among the “Betrayers of Gen Z.”
The editorial, published over the weekend, defended the paper’s stance, accusing Raila of remaining silent in the face of growing state excesses under the Kenya Kwanza administration—a government he is now seen to support.
“Isn’t it a betrayal that Raila says nothing while the government he now supports continues to break the law, ignore court orders, allow corruption, silence independent media, give shoot-to-kill orders against innocent people, and waste public funds like spending hundreds of millions on dozens of unnecessary presidential advisers?” the paper questioned, suggesting that the veteran opposition leader had failed to live up to his own legacy.
The editorial further accused the current administration of treating ordinary Kenyans with contempt. It stated that the government had resorted to abducting and torturing its citizens and decried Raila’s silence over such grave matters.
“So, what more proof is needed for Raila and ODM to see that many Kenyans now view them as betrayers?” the paper posed, arguing that Raila had grown out of touch with the frustration and anger expressed by a generation demanding justice and accountability.
In a more personal charge, the publication alleged that Raila’s close associates and family members were benefiting from high-level government appointments—signs of nepotism and cronyism, it claimed.
The editorial urged the ODM leader to walk away from what it termed a “mess” and take a firm stand on issues affecting the country. “If Raila doesn’t want to be part of this mess, then he should walk away. He should speak out clearly and strongly, not issue weak, confusing statements that only show he is enjoying his place at President Ruto’s table.”
The editorial concluded by calling on Raila to demand legal accountability, warning that his continued silence would be viewed as a betrayal of the democratic values he once stood for. “If he does not, then he is betraying the very values he has said he spent his life fighting for—a good name, the rule of law, equality, and opportunity for all. These are the same values that Gen Z are now standing up for, which is why they feel so deeply betrayed.”
Last Monday, the ODM party slammed the publication, which has in recent months been running blistering newspaper headlines against the government and its perceived associations, maintaining that it has a hidden agenda to force Raila into forcing the party to support the political positions of the ownership of the media outlet.
According to ODM, it was misleading and unfair for the publication to label them as betrayers, especially given the historical context of last year’s Gen Z protests.
The party noted that the demonstrations were a spontaneous movement by young Kenyans demanding their rights—particularly the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024—and were not aligned to any political formation or leader.
In a statement signed by Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, the party defended its leader against criticism from The Standard headline titled Gen Z Betrayers, which suggested that Odinga’s decision to collaborate with the government—alongside activist Kasmuel McOure—was a betrayal of the youth movement. ODM dismissed the label as misguided and reiterated its support for the protests.
Raila Odinga has strongly criticized Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen over remarks perceived as encouraging a shoot-to-kill approach during public unrest.
“Anybody giving instructions to a police officer that if someone comes closer to a police station, he should be shot—shame on you,” Raila said.
He emphasized that no one should lose their life outside the bounds of the law, adding that suspects should be arrested and charged in court, not executed unlawfully.
“We should not encourage taking away of life in ways that are not constitutional,” he added.
