Winnie Odinga dismisses ODM split as ‘frog noise’, says party's strength lies in youth and public conviction
Reflecting on the party’s 20-year journey, Winnie said ODM’s identity is inseparable from the struggles that shaped it. She described the movement as a vessel built through public sacrifice and unrelenting resistance.
East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Member of Parliament Winnie Odinga has dismissed talk of an alleged split within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), insisting that the party remains firmly anchored in the people and guided by the conviction that has sustained it for two decades.
Speaking during the ODM at 20 celebrations in Mombasa on November 14, 2025, Winnie described claims of internal division as mere political noise.
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“Forget the ODM split, it's frog noise. There are others who walk with us day and night, trying to sell the party; they will not succeed. ODM was not made in a bedroom, so its future will not be discussed as pillow talk,” she said, drawing loud applause from delegates.
Reflecting on the party’s 20-year journey, Winnie said ODM’s identity is inseparable from the struggles that shaped it. She described the movement as a vessel built through public sacrifice and unrelenting resistance.
“It has been the heartbeat of the Kenyan people for 20 years. ODM was born from protest, it was raised in resistance, and the people of ODM have time and time again bled, sweat, and shed tears for this country called Kenya,” she said.
Acknowledging the party’s imperfections, she added: “We are sorry that we don’t always get it right, poleni. But we will never be sorry for being inconvenient.”
Responding to critics who often brand ODM as unruly, Winnie framed the party’s activism as a necessary element of national transformation.
“They like to call us a party of goons. What we’re doing is nation-building. Nation-building is untidy, inconvenient, and uncomfortable. Nation-building has left us in tears as ODM, as a people's party, time and time again,” she stated.
She affirmed that ODM’s future rests with ordinary Kenyans, especially the youth.
“But we ODM belong to the people, and we will continue growing because the young people of ODM have conviction. It means something that after Baba’s death, these young people are still sitting in this place — because they have conviction,” she said.
Winnie closed with a Swahili message tying ODM’s founding dream to its present path: “Miaka 20 iliyopita, ODM ilizaliwa kutokana na ndoto ya Kenya ambapo kila kijana ako na nafasi ya kustawi, ambapo haki inatawala, na ambapo mstakabali wetu unaundwa na viongozi wanaosikiliza. Leo, ndoto hiyo inaendelea kuwaka mioyoni mwetu, na vijana tuko hapa tuzidi kusonga mbele kwa ujasiri.”
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