Kenya’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Mama Ida Odinga, has ruled out leaving the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party or the broad-based political arrangement.
Speaking on Tuesday, November 10, Mama Ida maintained that she would remain in both political formations, saying she had no plans to abandon the positions her late husband, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, had left her in.
She also called on Raila’s supporters to remain committed to the political path he had established before his death.
“Where Baba left me is exactly where I remain. Wherever he left you is where you should remain too. As for me, he left me in the broad-based arrangement and ODM, and I have no intention of going anywhere,” she said.
Her remarks come weeks after she spoke publicly about the challenges the Odinga family has faced following Raila’s death.
During memorial celebrations held on October 15 in Siaya County, Mama Ida said the family was still struggling to come to terms with his absence, revealing that they sometimes found themselves hoping to hear his familiar footsteps at home.
She further disclosed that the family suffered another bereavement barely 40 days after Raila’s death, making October 2025 an especially difficult period for them.
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“This past year has not been very easy for us. Forty days after Raila passed on, we lost another member of the family. These two losses were too much for the family. That is why, if you see that the family is not as excited, you should know that it has been very heavy on our hearts,” she said.
The memorial event brought together political leaders from across the political divide, among them Kisii Governor Simba Arati, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Siaya Governor James Orengo, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi.
Other notable attendees included former Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo, Bumula MP Jack Wamboka, former Chief Justice David Maraga and People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua.
