Senator Oburu Odinga Warns Against ‘Ruto Must Go’ Chants, Urges Patience Until 2027 Elections

Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga has castigated those pushing for the removal of President William Ruto from office urging them to calm their horses and await for the 2027 election cycle to assert their democratic right.

During the burial of his brother Raila Odinga security aide George Oduor, the Siaya Senator warned that removal of President before the conclusion of his term will only result to anarchy and chaos in the country.

He drew parallels with Somalia’s experience following the removal of President Siad Barre, noting that the ensuing instability has left the country in a state of prolonged unrest.

 “I hear people saying that Ruto must go Ruto Must go,go where. If he goes, so what he can go like the president of Siad Barre of Somalia went and there was chaos in that country. There was complete chaos in that up to today, Somalia does not know peace, and we don’t want our country to suffer that,” he stated.

The Siaya Senator chided those against the broad based government insisting that they will stand with the Kenya Kwanza regime despite the unpopular rhetoric’s on the government.

“We want to, we want to encourage this country to be peaceful, and we are going to work and those our friends who think otherwise, they should also continue to think otherwise, and we will remain friends with them, but they should know that as ODM, we have decided to work in this broad-based government,” Odinga asserted.

Top Military cheifs including General Charles Kahariri, chief of the Defence Forces of Kenya, and Noordin Haji, the National Intelligence Service director, have warned Kenyans against using the phrase, saying it risks destabilizing the country politically and undermining the government.

The chants have grown increasingly popular at football matches, night clubs, weddings and other social gatherings.

President Ruto even faced it in person, most recently during the World Safari Rally closing ceremony in Naivasha on 23 March, where his speech was repeatedly interrupted.

During the Kenya vs. Gabon World Cup qualifiers in Nairobi on 25 March, football fans chanted ‘Ruto Must Go’. Opposition leaders have also used the slogan to illustrate public discontent with Ruto’s policies and leadership style.

On social media, the phrase has been trending regularly on X following the Gen Z led protests in June 2024, which saw demonstrators storm Parliament.

Odinga scoffed at assertions that the broad based government has skewed development from the Mt Kenya region to the Nyanza region following the recent pact with Raila Odinga.

 He reassured that ODM’s advocacy for their region’s development does not come at the expense of other areas.

“I would like to appeal for, please make sure that our region gets its fair share of development. Let us get our fair share of development, and those people who are who think that we are taking their share from the mountain,”

“We are not taking your share. Kenya is so big and we are only eating our share.  President, give us our share. Not there. If they want to come, let them come,”

In recent months, President William Ruto has initiated several development projects in the Nyanza region, aiming to bolster the government’s presence and influence in opposition strongholds.

However, some political figures from Central Kenya including the Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua  have expressed concerns about the perceived shift in development focus.

Gachagua allies have argued that the allocation of resources to Nyanza may come at the expense of their region, which has traditionally been a stronghold for the ruling party by propelling Ruto into presidency.