Raila Odinga says 2027 presidential bid still undecided, focused on strengthening ODM

ODM leader Raila Odinga has said he is yet to decide whether he will contest the presidency in 2027, maintaining that it is too early to have that conversation.

Speaking in an interview with NTV on Sunday evening, Odinga said his current focus is on strengthening the ODM party ahead of the next General Election, though he did not rule out the possibility of running.

“I will not say my view, even in 2025. It is too early for anybody to talk about 2027,” Odinga said when asked if he would contest the presidency.

He maintained that it is too early to discuss his 2027 presidential plans but noted he could either support another candidate or run himself, depending on the decision made by his party.

“No, I don’t have to run for presidency. I can support somebody else, but I can also run. If I wanted to run, I haven’t made a decision because I don’t think it is time to make that decision. At the moment, I’m more content trying to organise my party, ODM, to be strong as a political party, so that if they want me to run, they will say,” he said.

“If they want somebody else to run, or if they want to support somebody else, that would be a decision they will make at an appropriate time.”

Aligning with Ruto

He also dismissed reports that some of his allies were aligning themselves with President William Ruto, saying such moves were purely personal.

“Those are individuals. That is their decision as individuals, and they’re entitled to it,” he said.

Regarding his long-time political ally, Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Odinga affirmed that their partnership remains strong but emphasised that future decisions will be made collectively by ODM, not driven by personal relationships.

“Me and Steve (Musyoka), we are friends; we share a number of issues, and we’ve run together. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. He has not asked me for my support. When the time comes, we will discuss and see who is capable of running. And that will not be just me and Kalonzo or me and whoever you want to talk about, me and Ruto or me and Gachagua, that matter will be about the party’s interests first,” he said.

He also dismissed claims that he is urging Musyoka to team up with President Ruto for a joint presidential bid.

“That is total rubbish. That is not true at all. I’ve not asked Kalonzo, nor have I asked Ruto. We’ve not discussed those issues at all. The issues we discussed, we’ll discuss at the appropriate time. And I would also not say that I’m not in the ring. I’ve also not taken that decision yet,” he clarified.

Country’s best interests

Responding to suggestions that he is caught between being in and out of government, Odinga dismissed the claims, saying his current political stance was a deliberate decision taken in the country’s best interest.

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• Politics
• Headlines
• President William Ruto
• ODM party
• General election
• ODM leader Raila Odinga
• Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka
• 2027 presidential election
• Raila Odinga says 2027 presidential bid still undecided
• focused on strengthening ODM

“I always have my two legs. I’m able to walk wherever I am. I’ve told the people that we are in this situation here because of the crisis the country is in at the moment, and we think that the decision we took was the right decision and is in the interest of the country,” he said.

When asked if his cooperation with President Ruto’s administration amounts to propping up the government, Odinga dismissed the notion, warning that without national dialogue, Kenya could have faced serious instability.

“Don’t think William Ruto would probably have been gone. In my view, he would have been grabbed. And you’ve seen what happened in Somalia. Once the country slips into that state, it takes a long time to get it back,” he said.

Reforms record

On concerns that his legacy is now viewed by some Kenyans as one of compromise rather than standing firm in opposition, Odinga defended his record, citing reforms achieved through negotiations with past regimes.

“There’s a lot of propaganda. You see, with Moi, we managed to tame Moi and eventually managed to turn the constitutional review process, so it was an achievement. It was not a compromise because, all the time, we had our eyes on the ball. And Moi was going out at that time, and the only way was to get him to agree so that we could start the process of constitutional review,” he explained.

Odinga revisited previous political settlements, including his deals with former presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta, saying they were necessary to stabilise the country.

“With Kibaki, the country was in turmoil, people had died, and it was not me; the international community came here and brought Kofi Annan to broker mediation. Kofi Annan negotiated with a team from both sides, and eventually came up with a document which we signed with Kibaki. I only signed it after my team agreed. I was actually forced into signing it because, as you know, I had won the elections. It was just rigged,” Odinga said.

He further denied that his handshake with former President Uhuru Kenyatta was a form of co-governance.

“I did not go into full government and didn’t have a single minister or anybody in government. I was not a co-president in Uhuru’s government, as people are saying I’m the co-president now. I got nothing from Uhuru’s government,” he said.

Reflecting on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), Odinga said its rejection by the courts derailed key reforms that could have addressed today’s political challenges.

However, he maintained that while inclusive governance remains a viable solution for national stability, his current focus is on rebuilding ODM and preparing for future political decisions collectively, rather than personally.