- The sudden death of Raila Odinga deeply affected those who were close to him, while the governor of Siaya, James Orengo, reportedly fainted after hearing the news
- Orengo, whom Wafula Buke described as Raila’s “best friend”, was quickly given first aid in his state of grief.
- The intelligence officers informed President William Ruto, who reportedly intervened to ensure the party was stable
Sudden death of Raila Odinga it really touched the people who were close to him, and many failed to understand the truth of the situation.
Source: Twitter
Among those most affected was the Governor of Siaya, James Orengoone of Raila’s closest allies in his long political journey.
Raila died on October 15 while receiving treatment at a hospital in India. Although the news was sad for many Kenyans, for Orengo, it was like his whole world came crashing down.
Reports indicate that he lost consciousness when he received the news.
According to Wafula Buke, Raila’s former aide, the governor of Siaya was unable to accept the death of the former prime minister.
Wafula, who was mulling over Raila’s possible successor within ODM, noted Orengo’s emotional response as evidence of his deep relationship with Raila.
“The fact that he fell unconscious after hearing of Raila’s death recognizes him not only as a lifelong friend, but as a soulmate,” Wafula noted.
He added that Orengo needed to be helped to regain consciousness by those around him.
After being administered the first aid, the governor quickly changed his attitude, determined to protect the stability of the ODM party following the disappearance of its great leader.
The political analyst also claimed that immediately after the President William Ruto informed about what he experienced in Orengo, he took immediate action to ensure unity in ODM.
“James Orengo received the news of Raila Odinga’s death, struggled, and was helped to regain consciousness. A lot was at stake. At the top of the list was the future of ODM. As soon as he returned to normalcy, Orengo began calling important party officials, urging them to prioritize unity and leadership. His actions were closely monitored, even government intelligence agencies informed President Ruto about Orengo’s actions,” Wafula demanded.
Ruto intervened by proposing the appointment of Senator Oburu Oginga as interim leader, as demanded by Wafula.
“RUTO instructed his people within the party to appoint Oburu Odinga as the Ordinary Party Leader immediately to prevent the internal party machine from getting a chance to intervene in the situation organized by their institutional logic,” Wafula demanded.
The ODM party has denied claims that President William Ruto is secretly taking over the leadership of the party after the death of Raila Odinga.
Some quarters indicated that the President was slowly taking steps to lead the affairs of the party and approve important decisions, including the recent appointment of Siaya Senator, Oburu Oginga, as interim leader.
Analyst Buke drew the attention of ODM’s communications director, Philip Etale, who, while denying the allegations, explained the strategies behind the NEC’s decision to select Oburu.
Etale said that an empty position in the leadership of the party would not be acceptable, as stipulated in the party’s constitution.
There was a quick procedure to ensure the party was led by someone when they faced the loss of their long-time leader.
Etale also rejected the argument that the NEC resolution was a recommendation of the President.
In addition, Etale noted that the Siaya Senator deserves to take the place of his deceased brother, due to his experience and ODM membership status.
Etale explained that the party needed to take action at the right time, and waiting for the Secretary General to arrive from India would affect the transition process and as a result affect the party’s participation in preparations to bid farewell to Raila.
Sifuna was implicated in the message that Ruto sent to India to collect Raila’s body.
More challenging was the will left behind by Raila, where he ordered that he be buried within 72 hours.
Etale noted that due to the time limit, all important matters needed to be dealt with quickly so that the party could go along with preparations to bid farewell to Raila.
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