Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has assured Kenyans that he is in good health following widespread online speculation about his condition.
On Tuesday, October 7, ODM Communications Director Philip Etale confirmed that he had personally spoken to Odinga, who was in high spirits.
“I have spoken with Raila Odinga just under five minutes ago. He is jovial and happy. He has sent me to convey his greetings to all of you and says he will be back in a few days,” Etale stated.
In a separate message, the former Prime Minister dismissed the rumours, saying, “I am seeing people spreading so much propaganda online, let’s keep praying for them.”
The statement came after a weekend of intense social media speculation regarding Odinga’s whereabouts and state of health.
The situation took a political turn after Raila Odinga’s spokesperson, Dennis Onyango, accused the opposition faction led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of fueling the misinformation about Raila’s health.
Onyango alleged that the group was attempting to pressure Raila into joining their political campaign against President William Ruto.
“The misinformation is broadcast by the same team that went on a frenzy against Hon. Raila’s bid for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission earlier this year.
“Gachagua, Kalonzo & co have co-opted sections of the traditional media that are happily picking feeds from bloggers, including AI-generated images, and broadcasting them as some kind of investigative breaking news,” Onyango said on Sunday.
Gachagua Denies Orchestrating Rumours
In response, Rigathi Gachagua denied the claims, saying he spent most of his Saturday with Nyali MP Mohammed Ali and was not active on social media.
He dismissed ODM’s accusations as baseless and politically motivated.
“I am very saddened by ODM; it has sunk so low. Since they allowed William Ruto to destroy ODM, it is no longer the party it was. I spent the whole of yesterday with Mohammed Ali. I never had access to social media, and I slept early.
“This morning, when I woke, I was told there is a letter that ODM is accusing me and Kalonzo of giving misinformation that Raila is unwell. I was not even aware whether he is unwell or if there are rumors that he is unwell,” he said.
Gachagua distanced himself from the matter, insisting that he had no interest in Raila Odinga’s affairs and saw little distinction between the former Prime Minister and President William Ruto.
“There is no difference between Ruto and Raila, so you don’t have to concentrate on two personalities when they are one. I don’t bother about Raila, and I have no interest in where he goes, whether he is out of the country or not. It is none of my business,” he stated.
“Cheap and Amateurish”: Gachagua Barks Back at ODM
He went on to dismiss ODM’s statement accusing him of spreading rumours about Raila’s health, describing it as cheap. Gachagua argued that if Raila was indeed in good health, ODM did not need to issue a formal statement to prove it.
“When I looked at that letter, it’s so amateurish, it’s so cheap. If a leader is said to be unwell and he is well, you just ignore and go on with life; you don’t have to say you are well. Why should you bother?
“If you feel the rumors are bothering you and you need to tell people you’re well, you don’t have to write a letter; all you need to do is do activities here and there, and then people can see you are well,” he stated.
Gachagua further alleged that ODM’s letter was part of a broader political scheme designed to sow discord between the Luo community and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
“It is political mischief if Raila will not run and he supports Ruto. A lot of people from Luo Nyanza are saying that if Kalonzo is on the ballot, they will vote for him because he has stood with Raila for 15 years. I think this was a scheme to try to create a wedge between the Luo Nation and Kalonzo,” he added.
Richard Kamau
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