The Central Management Committee (CMC), the top decision-making body of ODM, is set to choose an interim party leader to succeed Raila Odinga on Wednesday. Raila is expected to officially step down this week to focus on his campaign for the African Union Commission chairperson ahead of the February 2025 election.
According to The Star, Wednesday’s meeting will finalize Raila’s successor, ending his 18-year leadership of the party since its formation in 2005. “The Central Management Committee will sit on Wednesday to formally initiate the process of picking Baba’s (Raila’s) heir in the ODM party so that we free him to concentrate on AU campaigns,” said a senior ODM official familiar with the plans.
This meeting comes after ODM dismissed reports suggesting Raila would be stepping down soon to focus on his AU bid. Before Wednesday’s CMC meeting, the Elders Council, a high-level ODM body formed in April, will meet on Tuesday to officially roll out the plan for Raila’s replacement.
The Elders Council, established to oversee all party organs and protect ODM from any disruption during Raila’s absence, is expected to propose Raila’s successor, which will then be presented to the CMC for ratification.
The Elders Council will also hold a session with the ODM Board of Trustees on Tuesday to finalize the proposal for Raila’s successor. The membership of the Elders Council has not been publicly disclosed since its formation.
The Board of Trustees, which includes ODM stalwarts such as former Busia Senator Amos Wako, ODM Deputy Secretary General Agnes Zani, Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga (Raila’s brother), ODM National Treasurer Timothy Bosire, and Director of Administration and Finance Joshua Kawino, will be involved in this crucial process.
These meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday are considered the highest level of engagement within ODM, preparing for what analysts predict will be Raila’s imminent exit from the Kenyan political scene.
There are conflicting views about who will succeed Raila in the party’s leadership amid friction among top officials working on the succession plan.
Saboti MP Caleb Amisi lifted the lid on the anxiety in the ODM party over Raila’s exit, fronting ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna to take over from Odinga.
“It is my considered view that Edwin Sifuna should serve as party leader to hold brief for baba as he campaigns for the coveted continental post,” Amisi said.
Amisi also said Siaya Governor James Orengo should take charge as the chairperson of the Council of Elders to offer advisory counsel to the ODM leadership in Raila’s absence.
“The rejuvenation of Africa’s biggest democratic party lies in the freshness, energy, charisma, enthusiasm and dedication of its youthful supporters,” Amisi said.
