Top officials of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in Siaya County have broken ranks with the ruling party, launching a blistering attack over alleged abductions, torture, and extrajudicial killings carried out under its watch.
Addressing journalists in Siaya on Thursday, County UDA Chairman Bernard Odinga publicly renounced his support for the government, squarely blaming it for the death of Albert Omondi Ojwang, a popular blogger and teacher who was arrested in Homa Bay County and allegedly tortured to death while in police custody in Nairobi.
“Ojwang was arrested at his home, driven over 400 kilometers to Nairobi’s Central Police Station, locked up, and tortured to death,” said Odinga. “This is one of the cardinal sins a government can commit.”
A key architect of UDA’s inroads into the Luo Nyanza region, Odinga expressed deep remorse for supporting the party, stating that he and other early backers had been misled.
“We are the founders of UDA in Siaya. We fought for this party with our own resources. But we didn’t know it would become a government that abducts and kills people,” he declared. “The blood of Albert Ojwang has opened our eyes. I call upon Baba Raila Odinga, to immediately withdraw from the broad-based government. Enough blood has been shed.”
Odinga also condemned the ruling party for abandoning the very groups it once claimed to represent mama mboga (informal traders), boda boda riders, and workers in the fishing, juakali, health, and education sectors.
Ojwang’s killing has ignited national outrage and drawn widespread condemnation. ODM leaders from across the country including lawmakers, senators, and religious leaders are demanding an independent investigation into the 31-year-old’s death.
Oriwo Mbawi, another senior UDA figure in the region, echoed the call for Raila Odinga to distance himself from President William Ruto’s administration, warning that continued association with a government accused of repression could irreparably damage his legacy.
“Raila was invited to help fix a house that was already collapsing,” said Mbawi. “He has done his best. It is time to walk away and let the roof fall on those who built it. This government has turned against Kenyans with fake fertilizers, abductions, and bloodshed.”
The growing criticism from within UDA’s Luo Nyanza ranks underscores mounting disillusionment and deepening fractures in the party’s political alliances. Pressure is intensifying on Raila Odinga to reconsider his involvement in the broad-based agreement formed with the Kenya Kwanza government.
