Wanga: ODM Is Political Home for Maa Community

By Evans Mutinda

Chairperson Gladys Wanga has declared the Orange Democratic Movement the political home of the Maa community and other marginalised groups, as the party moves to consolidate its foothold in Narok County ahead of the 2027 General Election

Speaking at the party headquarters in Nairobi during a ceremony to welcome new members from Narok County, Wanga said ODM’s politics of inclusion offered a sharp contrast to what she described as ethnic and exclusionary politics being advanced by some political actors.
“Our home, our place is the broad-based government and ODM,” Wanga said, urging the Maa community and other communities that have historically felt marginalised to identify with the party.
She said ODM had chosen to participate in the broad-based government led by President William Ruto to secure tangible gains for its supporters and ensure that communities that had previously been left out of government benefited from the arrangement.

The ODM Chairperson said,she had no apologies to make for working within the broad-based administration, arguing that politics should be about delivering development and opportunities rather than simply occupying the opposition benches.
“We are interested in building the government together. But we are also interested in having all that has been enjoyed by other regions that we have not been enjoying before,” she said.
She warned the Maa community against politicians whom she accused of exploiting poverty and ethnic grievances for political gain.

Wanga said some political actors were promoting an agenda centred on the distinction between “big” and “small” tribes, leaving minorities and marginalised communities vulnerable.
“Why should we have politics that says there is a big tribe and a small tribe? What happens to the minorities and the marginalised?” she posed.
She said ODM had deliberately rejected ethnic politics and discrimination, insisting that the party’s national character gave it a broader appeal than parties built around particular communities.

According to Wanga, ODM and UDA were currently the two parties with a genuinely national footprint, with members and leaders drawn from different regions.
She said ODM had representatives and supporters in areas including the Coast, Turkana, Western, North Eastern and the Maa community in the Rift Valley.
‘National Leaders Must Go to the People’

The ODM chairperson
also criticised politicians who summon supporters to their home regions instead of travelling across the country to engage citizens.
She said true national leadership required politicians to leave Nairobi and visit communities in their own environments to understand their challenges.
“A national leader should meet people in a central place like Nairobi, but should also go out and visit people where they are and see their conditions,” she said.

Wanga said,leaders should not rely on mobilising poor Kenyans through transport and rallies where citizens are repeatedly brought together merely to demonstrate political support.
“That is not leadership. Leadership is about going to the people,” she said.
ODM Targets Every Seat in Narok
Wanga challenged the new ODM members from Narok to help the party build a formidable grassroots campaign capable of winning seats across the county.

She said ODM must field candidates for every elective position, including governor, senator, MP and MCA, rather than leave political spaces uncontested.
“We must have a governor candidate. We must have a senator — and we have Senator Ledama Ole Kina. We must have an MCA candidate and a candidate for Parliament. Every single constituency, we must have a candidate,” she said.
She urged members to remain united and avoid internal divisions driven by money or individual political ambitions.
Ms Wanga said the party leadership, led by party leader Dr Oburu Oginga and Deputy Party Leader Simba Arati, was determined to strengthen ODM structures ahead of the elections.
“We are serious. We are damn serious. We are in serious business,” she said.
ODM Wants Share of Power.

Wanga,also offered a glimpse into ODM’s expectations from the broad-based political arrangement, saying the party wanted a meaningful share of government if the partnership continues into the next political cycle.
She floated a possible power-sharing arrangement in which UDA retains the presidency while ODM takes the Deputy President position, alongside a broader distribution of government positions.
“If UDA has the President, ODM gets the Deputy President. That is the power we are talking about,” she said.
She said the party would continue pushing for its supporters to benefit from the current government arrangement while preparing for the 2027 political contest.
‘No Nomination Without a Seat’

Wanga, also issued a firm message on party nominations, saying ODM should avoid conducting nominations in areas where it has little chance of winning.
“No nomination without a seat,” she said, stressing that the party must first establish its electoral strength before undertaking nominations.
She said the objective was to ensure ODM’s candidates were strategically positioned to win rather than simply participate in elections.
The Nairobi meeting marked another step in ODM’s efforts to strengthen its grassroots presence in Narok, with the party seeking to attract new members and build a competitive political machinery ahead of the 2027 elections.