Shawn_tuesday 

The ODM that had real negotiating power with President Ruto was the ODM of our founding father, H.E. Raila Odinga; of our former Secretary General, Sen. Edwin Sifuna, with whom I disagreed politically; and of the proverbial third of the angels who left with him. We made missteps along the way that we should have owned and corrected: the delay in embracing and communicating TUTAM even after Baba gave us the go-ahead; the ‘Linda’ sibling rivalry that accidentally gave birth to the opposition’s most vibrant wing; the exclusion of young people from decisions that directly affect them; and our sluggishness in resolving internal contradictions and constitutional bottlenecks. The party’s top brass may still enjoy some leverage, largely on account of the respect Dr. Oburu commands both within the party and in government. But that is where it ends. We, the young people, continue to languish in both material and political poverty, while the party persists in choosing noise over substance. Beyond our mighty party, it is in the best interests of the Luo community to forge a political pact with President Ruto, free of the transactional demands for office that have too often characterised our politics. Our political leverage must come from our capacity to organise, mobilise and deliver electoral support, not from holding the President hostage to the personal ambitions of a few individuals. This pact should be stewarded by our community’s most trusted lieutenants, people unencumbered by personal electoral ambitions and committed unequivocally to the President’s re-election. Dr. Oburu Oginga, as Luo Nyanza’s seniormost political leader, and PS Dr. Raymond Omollo should lead this effort, alongside those who have demonstrated unwavering loyalty in difficult times, including CS Opiyo Wandayi and PS Dr. Ouma Oluga. Crucially, the young people whose political sacrifices helped make this engagement possible must occupy its centre, not merely serve as its foot soldiers. We cannot condemn the exclusion of young people from government under the Ten-Point Agenda while neglecting the same principle within our own party. Our commitment should be to preserve the cordial relationship we presently enjoy with President Ruto, organise our people around a common development agenda and rally them behind the 2027 TUTAM ballot revolution. We must demonstrate that political cooperation, grounded in mutual respect and a shared commitment to development, can deliver far more than perpetual confrontation and endless bargaining for positions. This pact will not be drafted in the convoluted verbiage of lawyers, nor undermined by premature conversations about 2032 masquerading as support for TUTAM. It will be written in the tarmac winding through Luo land, in upgraded hospitals, better-equipped schools and clean water flowing into our homes, and, above all, in the restoration of our people’s dignity through the realisation of our collective dream of peace and prosperity. That is what our political organisation must ultimately deliver. Not champagne for an elite few, but clean drinking water for our people.

ODM is now a small family breadchieth bakery based in Bondo