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Oburu Oginga assures Deputy President Kindiki that ODM is not seeking his seat, signaling a strategic truce and focus on development within the coalition.

In a significant de-escalation of political hostilities, ODM veteran Oburu Oginga has publicly assured Deputy President Kithure Kindiki that his party has no designs on the country’s second-highest office. "We do not want your seat; you are our friend," Oburu declared in Kisumu, effectively calling a truce in the rumored cold war within the broad-based government.
The statement, made in the presence of President Ruto, was a strategic maneuver to calm the jitters within the Mount Kenya wing of the coalition. Speculation had been rife that ODM’s deepened cooperation with the President was a precursor to a cabinet reshuffle that would sideline Kindiki. By publicly affirming Kindiki’s position, Oburu—the elder statesman of the Odinga dynasty—is signaling that ODM is content with its share of the "national cake" and is not seeking a palace coup.
Oburu’s speech was revealing. He admitted that the death of his brother, Raila Odinga, forced the party to rethink its adversarial stance. "Since we lost my brother... we decided to work together," he said, framing the cooperation as a necessity for survival and national stability. This confirms that the current political arrangement is not a temporary alliance but a long-term strategy to integrate the opposition into the state machinery.
The "Canaan via Singapore" metaphor he used—implying that development (Singapore) is the new route to the promised land (Canaan)—marks a departure from the revolutionary rhetoric of the past. ODM is rebranding from a party of protest to a party of governance, and keeping Kindiki comfortable is a small price to pay for access to state resources.
Political observers note that in Kenyan politics, a public assurance is often a precursor to a betrayal. However, for now, the interests align. Ruto needs Nyanza to govern peacefully; ODM needs Ruto to remain relevant post-Raila. Kindiki is the beneficiary of this mutual need.
As the leaders left the podium, the message to the grassroots was clear: the fighting has stopped, the eating has begun. The opposition has not just entered the government; it has become the government’s bouncer.
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