- Kisumu woman representative Ruth Odinga dismissed claims of a rift within the Odinga family, saying reports suggesting a fallout
- Ruth maintained that political differences and public debates among family members should not be mistaken for a family feud
- Addressing speculation triggered by Winnie Odinga’s recent political activities, Ruth defended her niece’s right to speak independently
- Ruth further questioned the motives behind the alleged divide, tracing the Odinga family lineage to dismiss claims of “Oginga versus Odinga” factions
Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Kisumu woman representative Ruth Odinga has dismissed claims of a rift within the Odinga family.
Source: Facebook
Ruth termed reports of a fallout between her brother, ODM leader and Siaya senator Oburu Oginga and his niece, Winnie Odinga, as manufactured and misleading.
Why Ruth dismissed claims of rift in Odinga family?
During an interview on Ramogi TV on Wednesday evening, January 21, Ruth insisted that the Odinga family remains united despite political differences and public debates involving individual family members.
She said attempts to portray internal disagreements as a family feud were deliberate efforts to sow division where none exists.
Ruth, however, rejected that narrative, arguing that open expression of views has always been part of their family’s culture.
“We come from a family that has democracy. If Winnie had a rally and his uncle also had a rally, I think it is the one that we had. There can be many differences, but what I know is that the Odingas we are always united and we’ll continue being united,” Ruth said.
Her remarks come amid growing public speculation that differing political positions taken by Winnie and Oburu point to deeper tensions within the political family.
What did Ruth say about Winnie’s political independence?
She defended Winnie’s right to speak independently, noting her political roots and upbringing give her the right to have an opinion.
“If our child, I call her Nyar Kawuour, stepped out and had a rally, you know she’s also young and went and spoke and even that Kibra she grew up there under her father,” Ruth said.
According to her, some of Winnie’s public remarks may have been misunderstood or deliberately twisted to suggest hostility toward her uncle.
She maintained that such interpretations ignore the close relationship between Winnie and Oburu, revealing Oburu’s big contribution to Winnie’s upbringing.
“Most of us Odingas, even Winnie, we’ve been brought up by Oburu. You know her father was in and out of jail, that even Oburu is her father figure, that she knows that I don’t think she can come up to fight her uncle like people are trying to say,” she explained, adding that claims of confrontation between the two were exaggerated.
Source: Twitter
Ruth questioned the motives behind the alleged divide, suggesting that confusion had even been created around family lineage to fuel the narrative.
She traced the Odinga family tree to underline that all members belong to the same lineage, dismissing attempts to draw artificial boundaries between “Oginga” and “Odinga”.
“First, what is surprising me is who are the Odingas or Ogingas are, because all of us are children of Oginga from Oburu, whether it’s Raila, Ogolla, Akinyi Wenwa, or me, Adhiambo, even Nyangi and all other children. Our father was called Oginga, who was the son of Odinga and that Odinga was the son of Raila. So I’m wondering which one is this Oginga versus Odinga. That is the first thing that tells you it’s something created to bring about a rift,” she said.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
