KISUMU, 14th January -A fierce political storm is brewing in Kisumu County, pitting Deputy Governor Dr. Mathews Owili against Nyakach MP Aduma Owuor in a war of words that exposes deep fissures within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
The clash, ignited by a recent birthday celebration for the late party leader Raila Odinga, has escalated into a public spat laden with accusations of disrespect and political opportunism.
The controversy erupted after a gathering at Raila Odinga’s Karen home on January 7th to mark what would have been his 81st birthday. The event, noticeably absent of several ODM luminaries, drew sharp criticism from MP Aduma Owuor.
In a viral video, the Nyakach legislator launched a scathing attack on the concept of posthumous birthday parties, framing them as a distortion of tradition and legacy.
“I have never seen a situation where we host birthdays for the departed,” Aduma stated with palpable contempt. “These occasions should be celebrated for people who are still alive to wish them longer life.
What we are seeing is a circus, a distortion of our customs. We must stop this pretence and let the dead rest in peace. We cannot be seen to be joking with Raila’s legacy by turning his memory into an annual spectacle.
These remarks, interpreted as a direct affront to the Odinga family and supporters, triggered an explosive response from Deputy Governor Owili, a staunch Odinga loyalist and a frontrunner for the Kisumu gubernatorial seat in 2027, a position Aduma is also eyeing.
Owili did not mince words, branding the MP’s comments as profoundly disrespectful and politically motivated.
“It is the height of insensitivity and political bankruptcy for anyone, especially a leader, to demean how a family and a nation chooses to honour its greatest hero,”
Speaking in Kisumu on Wednesday during a groundbreaking fora pediatric ICU at JOOTRH Owili noted that Raila Odinga was not just any other man but an institution whose spirit that lives on.
“For Aduma to reduce a solemn act of remembrance to a ‘joke’ shows how far removed he is from the people’s hearts in a manner that is exhibiting sheer ignorance” reiterated Kisumu DG.
Owili’s rebuttal was not merely defensive but combatively prescriptive, signalling a firm intention to institutionalize the celebrations.
“Let this be clear to Aduma and his ilk, the birthdays and anniversaries of the late Raila Odinga will be observed annually, and with greater vigour,” he declared.
“We will not be intimidated by political novices trying to score cheap points. These gatherings are not for the dead; they are for the living to keep his fire burning, to re-commit to his ideals.
Future celebrations will actively support widows and orphans because that is the true essence of Baba’s legacy: uplifting the downtrodden.”
The acrimonious exchange signals more than a personal rivalry, it reveals the widening rift within ODM following Raila’s departure from the domestic political scene.
The party now grapples with internal contradictions, including divergent stances on supporting President William Ruto’s re-election bid and a vacuum of unified leadership.
The conspicuously low turnout of senior ODM figures at the Karen birthday event underscores these simmering tensions.
As the 2027 elections loom, the Owili-Aduma clash is a prelude to a bruising battle for the Kisumu ODM ticket and a proxy war for the soul of the party.
Owili’s strategy is firmly anchored in venerating Raila’s eternal influence, while Aduma’s critique appears to be an attempt to chart a new, pragmatic course away from symbolic politics.
One leader condemns a posthumous celebration as a farce, the other vows to cement it as a sacred tradition. In this fierce duel of narratives, the legacy of Raila Odinga itself has become the battleground for seeking political relevance.
