The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has forcefully refuted widespread claims that its party leader, Raila Odinga, is in poor health, labelling the reports as a politically motivated campaign of misinformation orchestrated by the opposition.
In a detailed statement issued on Sunday, the ODM Secretariat confirmed that the former Prime Minister did travel out of the country on Friday evening but vehemently denied that the trip was for medical reasons in Europe, as alleged by numerous bloggers and some media houses.
“The political formation of impeached former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his struggling team of Kalonzo Musyoka and Eugene Wamalwa, among others, are on a familiar campaign of misinformation on the health of former Prime Minister and ODM Party Leader Raila Odinga,” the party stated.
The rumours about Mr. Odinga’s health gained traction after he was absent from the public eye for two weeks, a period that coincided with the postponement of ODM’s high-profile 20th-anniversary celebrations. The event, initially scheduled for October 10-12 in Mombasa, has been rescheduled for November 14-16. The event’s planning committee attributed the delay to a need for greater inclusivity, stating the party leader agreed to expand the program to engage with more counties.
ODM underscored Mr. Odinga’s longstanding tradition of transparency regarding his health, citing past instances where he publicly disclosed his hospitalizations in 2010 for a medical procedure and in 2021 after a COVID-19 diagnosis.
“Hon. Raila has a strong tradition of being open and generous with the country on matters of his health… He would do the same today were he to be in the health situation his opponents wish,” the statement read.
The party accused the United Opposition, led by Rigathi Gachagua, of co-opting sections of the mainstream media, which are allegedly broadcasting feeds from bloggers—including AI-generated images—as legitimate investigative journalism.
“This misinformation is broadcast by the same team that went on a frenzy against Hon. Raila’s bid for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission earlier this year,” ODM added, framing the health rumours as a tactic to weaken President William Ruto’s political standing, given Mr. Odinga’s recent political alliance with the head of state.
Despite the clarifications, the party did not disclose Mr. Odinga’s current destination or the nature of his trip, only insisting that he is not indisposed and that a public communication would have been made if he were ill.
