ODM@20: CS Duale heaps praises on ODM, says he is a beneficiary of party history

Health CS Aden Duale in an ODM campaign poster in 2007 when he first contested for the seat. He subsequently won./FILE

Health CS Aden Duale with former late ODM party leader Raila Odinga at a past function./FILE

Health CS Aden Duale on Friday reflected on his political journey with ODM, which he praised for shaping his political path and helping mould the person he is today.

The Orange Party is celebrating it's 20th anniversary fete currently ongoing in Mombasa county and will climax with interdenominational prayer service on Sunday in Kilifi county.

As ODM marks twenty years of shaping the country’s political landscape, Duale said he is joining the celebration not as a mere former member, but as a grateful beneficiary of its history, its courage and its vision.

He noted that the party gave him his first platform of service, a debt he acknowledged with humility.

In 2007, Duale made his entry into electoral politics by contesting for the parliamentary seat of what was then Dujis Constituency (later Garissa Township) on the ODM ticket.

Duale, who was little known then, surprised many by winning the seat, beating the likes of Ali Koran, who was contesting on a PNU ticket.

In a long Facebook post on his page, Duale praised ODM for providing the platform and momentum in 2007 that offered a fresh alternative to politicians seeking elective seats and to the electorate.

“My journey in politics is intertwined with the birth and growth of the Orange Democratic Movement. When ODM opened its doors twenty years ago, we, including H.E. President William Ruto, were among the founders and ranking members who believed that Kenya deserved a wider democratic horizon and a louder, freer voice,” read part of his post.

“Over the years, political paths have shifted, alliances have realigned, and today I proudly serve under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). But in all these seasons of change, one truth has never left my compass: democracy. It is the thread that has stitched together every chapter of my public life.”

“As ODM marks twenty years of shaping our political landscape, I join them in celebration, not as a mere former member, but as a grateful beneficiary of its history, its courage and its vision. The party gave me my first platform of service, and that is a debt I acknowledge with humility,” his post further read.

Duale further heaped praise on the former ODM party leader Raila Odinga, saying that matters of democracy in the country cannot be discussed without his name being mentioned.

“When we speak of democracy in this country, we speak the name of one man who lived for it, suffered for it and insisted that no Kenyan should ever fear their own voice: The Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga, Baba.”

“His life was a long walk through sacrifice, bruising battles and unending courage. There were moments he carried the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders; moments when he bled so that the rest of us could breathe freely. Even when we disagreed, even when the country wavered, he did not. He stood, sometimes alone, sometimes wounded, but always firm in the belief that Kenya must never shrink its freedoms. That is his enduring gift,” Duale stated in his post.

“Happy 20th Anniversary to the Orange Democratic Movement; two decades of struggle, sacrifice and steadfast belief in our democracy!” Duale concluded.

After his initial success with ODM, Duale’s trajectory took a different turn when he shifted party affiliation while maintaining a strong political base in Garissa and nationally.

Elected under ODM, he served as MP for Dujis and became an Assistant Minister for Livestock Development (2008–2013) in the coalition government.

He later left ODM and became a co-founder of the United Republican Party (URP) alongside William Ruto.

In 2013, he was re-elected under the Jubilee Party (into which URP merged), and in both parliaments he served on key committees and was eventually elected Majority Leader of the National Assembly.

In 2022, he contested under the UDA party and won by a landslide, but was subsequently appointed CS by President Ruto, after which he resigned to take up his new role in the Cabinet.