ODM Issues Updates on Raila’s Health Condition and Why He Flew Out of The Country

The Orange Democratic Movement has moved to quash rumors about party leader Raila Odinga’s health, accusing a faction of opposition politicians of spreading misinformation about the former Prime Minister’s wellbeing.

In a strongly worded statement released on Sunday, ODM accused the United Opposition, a political formation comprising impeached former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, and DAP-K’s Eugene Wamalwa, of orchestrating a campaign of falsehoods regarding Mr. Odinga’s health status.

The party said the same group had previously launched attacks during Mr. Odinga’s bid for the African Union Commission chairmanship earlier this year. ODM claimed that sections of traditional media had been co-opted to amplify false narratives derived from bloggers and AI-generated images, presenting them as legitimate news.

“The political formation of impeached former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his struggling team of Kalonzo Musyoka and Eugene Wamalwa, among others, are on a familiar campaign of misinformation on the health of former Prime Minister and ODM Party Leader Raila Odinga,” the statement read.

According to ODM, the misinformation campaign is designed to provoke and politically corner Mr. Odinga, using his name to advance the opposition’s agenda against President William Ruto’s administration.

The party clarified that Mr. Odinga is in good health and dismissed reports suggesting he had traveled to Europe for medical treatment.

ODM explained that its leader had simply traveled out of the country on Friday evening, one of several trips he has made this year, and emphasized that he is neither ill nor hospitalized.

The statement highlighted Mr. Odinga’s track record of transparency regarding his health.

The party noted that he has always informed the public whenever he has undergone medical procedures, including when he was hospitalized as Prime Minister in June 2010 and when he was diagnosed with Covid-19 in 2021.

“He told the country that he was undergoing a procedure when he was hospitalized as the sitting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya in June 2010. He told the country that he was diagnosed with Covid and hospitalized as the opposition leader in 2021. He would do the same today were he in the health situation his opponents wish,” the statement added.

ODM reiterated that Mr. Odinga remains committed to the ideals of the Broad-Based Government and continues to advocate for unity and compromise in addressing the country’s challenges.

The party concluded by stating that it understands the frustration of Mr. Odinga’s political opponents but insisted that spreading falsehoods about his health will not derail his mission.