Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga/HANDOUTFormer Prime Minister Raila Odinga has dismissed allegations of failing health as “baseless propaganda”, accusing political rivals of instigating the rumours.
There has been speculation about Raila’s whereabouts after his brief absence from public events. He was last seen last Friday and before that on September 22, although he is more frequently in the limelight.
The veteran opposition chief, according to his secretariat, jetted out of the country on Friday evening.
“Raila Odinga travelled out of the country on Friday evening¾one of the many trips he has made this year, and definitely not the last,” Raila’s spokesman Dennis Onyango said in a statement yesterday.
Onyango did not elaborate, give the purpose of the travels, Raila’s destination or his expected date of return.
Some sources claimed the ODM boss travelled to the US. The Star could not, however, independently verify the itinerary by the time of press.
The Orange party has shelved its planned 20th anniversary celebrations scheduled to run from Friday to Sunday, October 10 to 12, in Mombasa.
The Friday meeting (October 3) that postponed the celebrations was chaired by Raila and attended by, National Assembly Minority leader Junet Mohamed, ODM chairperson Gladys Wanga, deputy party leader Godfrey Osotsi and executive director Oduor Ong’wen.
Prior to that appearance, Raila was last seen in public on September 22 during ODM’s Parliamentary Group meeting at the Argyle Grand Hotel.
Since then, he was a no-show at key party events, including issuance of nomination certificates to ODM aspirants, two build-up rallies in Wajir and Kisii counties, as well as the burial of former Cabinet minister Dalmas Otieno.
A political spat has erupted following speculation about the health and whereabouts of the ODM leader.
In a statement to newsrooms, Raila’s Secretariat dismissed reports circulating about the health of the former premier, saying they are being promoted by opponents aiming to plant fear and confusion within his support base.
Onyango's statement specifically cited an opposition team, including Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, DCP boss Rigathi Gachagua, and former CS Eugene Wamalwa, who heads DAP-K.
He accused them of orchestrating a “familiar campaign of misinformation” targeting the opposition leader.
“The misinformation is broadcast by the same team that went on a frenzy against Raila’s bid for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission earlier this year,” the statement read.
The Secretariat accused the politicians of co-opting sections of the media and bloggers to spread false information, including AI-generated images, which are then circulated as breaking news.
“The hope of this team then and now is to bully Raila to provide a back for them to ride on in their struggle against President William Ruto,” Onyango said.
In a swift and sharp rebuttal, the Wiper party issued its own press statement, dismissing ODM's allegations as "political theatre".
"Let it be stated clearly: Kalonzo Musyoka harbours no ill will whatsoever toward Mr Odinga," the statement read.
It termed the attempt to link Kalonzo to the rumours of ill
health as "a weak distraction" from ODM's own internal challenges and
its alliance with President Ruto's administration.
The statement further criticised ODM for aligning with a regime it accused of being responsible for bloodshed and repression, calling the Orange party-UDM association "shameful and unforgivable".
But Raila's side emphasised that he has always been open and transparent about his health, citing past instances when he publicly disclosed his medical condition.
“He told the country that he was undergoing a procedure when he was hospitalised as the sitting Prime Minister in June 2010. He told the country that he was diagnosed with Covid-19 and hospitalised as the opposition leader in 2021. He would do the same today were he to be in the health situation his opponents wish,” the statement reads
Onyango said the ODM leader is not unwell as reported by some bloggers and media houses.
“He definitely did not travel to Europe as picked by bloggers and broadcast by some media houses. He is not indisposed, as prayed for by his frustrated opponents,” Onyango said.
The Secretariat said Raila continues to champion unity and compromise for national stability.
“Home or away, Raila remains committed to the ideals of the broad-based government. He remains steadfast in his belief that extreme threats to the nation require extreme compromises in the interest of the nation,” Onyango concluded.
The Wiper statement then escalated into a severe condemnation of ODM's current political alliance with Ruto's government.
In some of the strongest language in recent political rhetoric, it cited a "mockery of the nation’s intelligence" that ODM now "finds comfort in the pits of hell with a regime that butchered young people during the Gen Z protests".
INSTANT ANALYSIS
This is not the first time Raila’s health has been a concern. He was hospitalised for Covid-19 in March 2021. He also underwent minor back surgery in Dubai and a complex procedure to drain fluid from his brain in 2010.
Raila Odinga's recent absence from key events, including the postponement of ODM's 20thl anniversary celebrations and his absence from the burial of former colleague Dalmas Otieno, had fueled peculation that his secretariat sought to quell.
