Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga has revealed new details about the medical condition that led to the late Prime Minister, Raila Odinga’s treatment in India.
Speaking in an interview on Sunday, November 2, the Senator said doctors in Nairobi had initially discovered a blood clot in his head.
According to Oburu, the clot was identified while Raila was being attended to by local doctors, who prescribed strong medication to dissolve it.
However, the treatment had begun to take a toll on the Raila’s strength, forcing him to seek medical care abroad.
“A blood clot was discovered in the late Raila’s head, and it was being dissolved by our doctors here in Nairobi, but they were using strong medicine, which was wearing him down. He was feeling weak and tired because of that kind of medication.
“When he went to India, they managed to clear that clot in Mumbai. By the time he left the hospital, he was up and about and went to recuperate in Kerala,” he said.
Meanwhile, speaking during the same interview, Oburu dismissed calls to remove Edwin Sifuna from his position as Secretary General.
He said this is not the time for any ODM member to be ousted, emphasizing the need for unity within the party, noting that every member has an important role to play.
“This is not the time to talk about the ouster of any ODM member. This is the time to bring unity in the party, and we need all members, including Sifuna, and he is in my view doing a good job,” he said.
Oburu also defended Sifuna’s remarks regarding the broad-based government and the 2027 General Election, noting that they reflect the official party position.
“When Edwin Sifuna said whatever he said, he was within his rights to say so because that is the correct position of the matter; he is not isolated. How can you be isolated when I am telling you that is the position?” he posed.
Elsewhere, this comes days after Nyando MP Jared Okello has explained why the ODM Party settled on Oburu as the party’s acting leader following Raila’s death.
In an interview on Thursday, October 30, the MP cited Oburu’s long-standing commitment to the party and his role in its formation.
“We settled on Oburu Odinga as acting party leader because of many things. First, he is Raila’s brother and many times Raila consulted him on issues. He is a staunch member of the ODM Party and carries with him its rich history.
“Some of us were very young in 2005 when the ODM Party was being formed, but Oburu was at the center of that process,” he said.
Okello added that the party needed an experienced hand to guide it through its political realignments, particularly in its ongoing engagement with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“Now that ODM has an arrangement with the Kenya Kwanza administration, who better to articulate ODM’s issues as we engage with the government than Oburu Odinga? Those are among the many considerations that qualified him,” he added.
Okello further clarified that Oburu’s appointment as acting leader was a temporary measure pending formal ratification by the party’s National Delegates Conference (NDC).
He noted that ODM remains committed to internal democracy and transparency, assuring party members that any interested individuals will be given a fair opportunity to present themselves.
“However, if there is anyone who believes they can do a better job than Oburu Odinga, our National Delegates Conference will provide that platform. It is the final organ that will formally confirm him. Until then, he remains the acting party leader.
“Since ODM stands for democracy, anyone who feels they have stronger credentials than Oburu Odinga will have an opportunity to present their vision and policies,” he further said.
