Former Deputy Chief of Staff for Delivery and Government Efficiency Eliud Owalo has opened up on the circumstances surrounding his fallout with the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, insisting that their disagreements were never personal but tied to political circumstances.
Speaking on a local media station on Sunday, February 2, 2026, Owalo recalled the period leading up to the 2017 elections when he sought the ODM ticket to contest the Kibra parliamentary seat.
“The misunderstandings that were there between him and me had nothing to do with my being head of the presidential campaign, but events much later, when it came to issues in Kibra politics. I wanted to run for the Kibra parliamentary seat. I ventured into that space with his tacit approval, but later on, he appeared to have changed his mind and preferred a different candidate,” Owalo said.
He added that the change in direction prompted him to confront Odinga and ultimately step away from the c
“I had a sitting with him, and I told him, look, I cannot take this, and I’m walking away. But despite all that, we maintained a very cordial relationship,” Owalo said.
Owalo also expressed disappointment over what he described as political inconsistency.
“Of course, I was disappointed because I felt that there was an element of deceit, political deceit. Career politicians find it very easy to tell lies and get away with it. I find it strange that you will tell me something in the morning and by afternoon you have changed your position and cannot account for that monument of inconsistency and contradiction,” he said.
Despite the disagreement, Owalo emphasised that he and Raila maintained a cordial relationship and that their differences were not personal.
“We differed based on circumstantial positions, but it was not personal enmity, and we actually maintained a very cordial relationship. At no point in time did I ever attack him in public. At no point in time did he ever attack me in public. We maintained a friendly relationship,” Owalo stated.
He cited their continued collaboration even after the fallout.
“And you remember later on in his later days, I was his deputy patron at Gor Mahia. Here we worked very closely even at that point in time,” he added.ontest.
