In an emotional and unusually candid address, Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has publicly blamed political leaders including herself for the worsening insecurity in the lakeside city, admitting they failed to protect the late Hannington Were, son of former Matungu MP David Were.
Speaking during Hannington’s burial in Matungu, Kakamega County, Odinga abandoned the usual political rhetoric and instead delivered a scathing self-indictment of the region’s leadership, linking the young man’s brutal killing to years of poor leadership and the exploitation of vulnerable youth.
Hannington was killed during a violent night attack in Kisumu last month, a tragedy that has reignited concerns over rising crime and insecurity in the city.
“As I stood before Hannington’s casket, I could not run away from the truth,” Odinga said. “I had to look within and accuse myself alongside my fellow leaders. We failed Hannington, and we are failing our young people.”
Representing ODM leader Dr. Oburu Oginga, the Jaramogi family and the people of Bondo at the funeral, Odinga recalled the long-standing ties between her family and the Were family. However, she used the solemn occasion to challenge what she described as a dangerous political culture that has fueled lawlessness in Kisumu.
According to the legislator, the insecurity claiming the lives of young people is a crisis created and sustained by politicians themselves.
“For far too long, leaders have encouraged goonism and handed young people Sh200 tokens while denying them what they truly need jobs, economic opportunities and safe communities,” she said.
Odinga urged political leaders to stop using unemployed youth as tools for political battles and instead invest in meaningful empowerment programmes that can offer them a sustainable future.
She said Hannington’s death should serve as a wake-up call for leaders across the region to rethink how they engage and support young people.
The ODM stalwart also turned her attention to the party’s growing internal divisions, warning that factional battles threaten to weaken the Orange party’s influence.
She took aim at the rival “Wantam” and “Tutam” camps, urging members to abandon divisive politics and unite under the leadership of Dr. Oburu Oginga.
“If ODM wants to remain relevant at the national negotiating table, we must remember that politics is a game of numbers, and every member matters,” she said.
Odinga warned that continued infighting could undermine the party’s strength, calling on rival camps to shelve their differences for the sake of unity.
“Those driving the Wantam and Tutam factions must stop. We must bring all our voices under one umbrella. A divided house cannot stand, but a united ODM will be unstoppable,” she declared.
As mourners paid their final respects to Hannington Were, Odinga’s remarks transformed a moment of grief into a powerful call for political accountability, placing Kisumu’s leadership under pressure to confront the insecurity crisis and deliver lasting solutions for the region’s youth.
