OFAFA, Kisumu, 24 Sept 2026 – The political storm in the high seas continues to rise over former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s recent remarks that Raila Odinga won the 2022 presidential elections against the incumbent President William Ruto.
Joining the debate are the Luo Council of Elders, who have strongly condemned him for reopening wounds that had already healed.
Led by Ker Odungi Randa, they criticised Uhuru for failing Raila, and by extension, the Luo community, who needed him most to secure the presidency.
“For years, Raila fought earnestly in the trenches for social democracy and multipartyism. The revival of the issue is ill-timed and so, whether his victory was stolen or not is no longer relevant,” he remarked, adding that: “Uhuru should let Raila rest in peace.”
During a press conference at Ofafa Memorial Hall in Kisumu, Ker Randa stated that Uhuru is solely focused on promoting divisive politics in a weaponised attack designed to isolate the Luo from their cordial relationship with Ruto under the broad-based arrangement initiated by Raila.
“In the run-up to the August 2022 polls, President Uhuru had assured us during a meeting at State Lodge Kisumu that ‘he was going to hand over power to Raila, but with all the security organs under his command as the commander-in-chief, he handed over the instruments of power elsewhere.'”
He also highlighted how “Uhuru didn’t develop the Luo region during his tenure,” similar to his predecessors Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Arap Moi, and Mwai Kibaki.
“In successive years, they deployed systemic and systematic sabotage of the area’s development, leaving the residents wallowing in a quagmire of poverty since independence.”
However, they praised Ruto’s multi-billion shilling transformative development projects across Nyanza and the country at large, and called on Uhuru to allow Ruto to work peacefully.
“Ruto is the only President since independence who has made thè Luos witness real development in the region. We are, therefore, backing his second-term bid and urge the Luo community to give him unwavering support,” Ker Randa appealed.
He also called on them to remain peaceful and uphold unity with purpose towards socio-economic and cultural development.
In light of recent events, the Luo Council of Elders Deputy Organising Secretary Jotham Ondu Ajiki advised Uhuru, as a retired president, not to interfere in active politics but to remain silent and play his diplomatic role for the greater good of the nation.
“He is supposed to be non-partisan, and revelations about ‘Raila’s victory’ are a non-issue because we understand clearly that he is playing politics, but, unfortunately, it is too late in the day.”
He added that the Luo had great faith in Uhuru during the handshake with Raila and more so when he was their preferred presidential candidate under the Azimio coalition during the 2022 elections.
Ajiki noted that Uhuru ‘chose to sit with the instruments of power’ and denied Raila his victory. He confirmed that it was he who denied Raila his victory, and believes that “it is an issue for the Luo.”
“We do not wish to have that kind of, you know, somebody to remind us of the very painful time that we had when Raila was not declared the president.”
