KISUMU,2nd June 2026 -A spirited Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) mega rally in Kisumu has ignited a fierce political debate, with local leaders dismissing allegations that the massive turnout was fueled by rented crowds.
The rally, held last Sunday at Kirembe grounds, drew thousands of party supporters in a show of strength that organizers say proves the party remains united and formidable following the untimely death Raila Amolo Odinga.
However, Kisumu Senator Professor Tom Ojanda has come under sharp criticism after reportedly suggesting that the crowd was bought with party officials condemning the remarks as inflammatory and divisive.
Speaking separately, ODM youth and branch leaders accused the Senator of suffering from “selective amnesia,” recalling that similar large crowds attended rallies during the era of former Premier.
“For the senator to purport that the people who were in Kirembe were a rented crowd baffles us,” said K’aliech Sam, Chairperson of the Youth League in Kisumu West. “The statements are made to pit leaders against the people they represent.”
Charles Juma Adwuogo, ODM Chairman for Kisumu West Constituency, dismissed the allegations as falsehoods, stating that party structures mobilized supporters organically from the grassroots through polling station networks.
The leaders are now demanding that Ojienda must apologize to ODM members who turned out voluntarily for the love of the party.
“He must measure his words. He’s a senior counsel and must ensure his words are calibrated to avoid causing pandemonium within ODM members,” asserted Adwuogo.
The rally’s success has become a flashpoint over internal party cohesion, with rank and file members warning against any attempts to create parallel centres of power or undermine ODM’s grassroots support base.
