Kumbe ODM is tearing itself apart from the inside, and the Odinga name has become the battleground! Treasury CS John Mbadi just fired shots at Ruth Odinga, telling her the party isn't a family business — and bana, she came back swinging harder than a jua kali hammer.

When Family Drama Becomes Party Politics

The Orange Democratic Movement is currently eating itself alive, and it's honestly painful to watch. During an ODM officials' retreat in Mombasa, John Mbadi basically told Ruth Odinga to sit down and shut up — except he did it publicly, which is the worst possible way to handle family beef in a political setting. Mbadi's message was crystal clear: ODM doesn't belong to the Odingas, it's a collective party, and nobody gets special treatment just because their last name is iconic.

But here's the thing, ndio? Ruth Odinga wasn't having it. She fired back on social media with the kind of response that made everyone's timeline go crazy. She called out Mbadi for his personal attack, pointing out that she was literally the only Odinga in that entire three-day retreat. Translation: why are you coming for me specifically if this isn't about the family name? The logic? Tight.

Legacy Wars and Respect Issues

What makes this drama extra spicy is how Ruth defended her late brother Raila's legacy. She's basically saying that Raila didn't need ODM to become Raila — the people of Kenya made him who he was. ODM came after, not before. And even now that he's gone, his influence remains strong because of what he stood for, not because of some party logo.

Mbadi's response was interesting though. He said he also fought for Raila, essentially trying to remind Ruth that the Odingas don't have a monopoly on loyalty to the former opposition leader. The man was basically saying, "Sisi pia tulipigania huyu jamaa, don't forget about us." It's the kind of argument that happens when political loyalties get tangled with personal egos — and lakini, nobody wins in that scenario.

ODM's Split is Getting Worse

This whole beef is happening while ODM is already bleeding internally. The party has two main factions now — Linda Ground and Linda Mwananchi — and everyone's being forced to pick a side. Ruth Odinga? She's been accused of sitting on the fence, which probably made her an easy target for Mbadi's public rebuke. When you don't take sides in a war, both sides start seeing you as the enemy.

The Jukwaa Take: ODM's wrangles have stopped being about ideology and become about ego — and that's the real tragedy for a party that once stood for something bigger than individual ambitions.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke