Mumias East Member of Parliament Peter Salasya has announced his intention to pay a personal condolence visit to Ida Odinga, the widow of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who passed away on October 15, 2025. The planned visit comes as the Odinga family continues to receive delegations at their Opoda Farm home in Bondo, Siaya County.

On Thursday, November 6, 2025, Mrs. Odinga hosted a high-level delegation led by Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka, where she made a public appeal for Kenyans to forgive any transgressions by her late husband. Mr. Salasya's planned visit inserts a complex political figure into this period of mourning. The lawmaker, who was in Ethiopia at the time of the former Prime Minister's burial, had announced on October 18, 2025, that he would lead a candlelight vigil in Addis Ababa to honour the late opposition leader.

A Visit of Political Contradictions

The planned meeting is notable given Mr. Salasya's sharp political pivot over the past year. Elected in 2022 on a Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) ticket, a constituent party of the Raila Odinga-led Azimio la Umoja coalition, Salasya has since charted a decidedly independent and often confrontational path.

In November 2024, DAP-K officially exited the Azimio coalition, a move Salasya vocally supported as he vowed to make the party the dominant force in Western Kenya. Following this split, the first-term MP became a fierce critic of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the party synonymous with the Odinga dynasty. In an April 27, 2025, statement, Salasya called on the Luhya community to unite and reject ODM in the 2027 general election, describing it as a "bad political party with no people's interest." He argued that the community had long been used as a voting bloc without commensurate political returns.

This political break was followed by Salasya's own declaration of a presidential bid for 2027, where he positioned himself as a champion for Kenya's youth and an alternative to established political kingpins.

Sympathy or Strategy?

Mr. Salasya's intention to personally console Mrs. Odinga presents a moment of intricate political theatre. Analysts will be watching closely to discern whether the visit is a genuine gesture of sympathy that transcends political rivalries or a calculated manoeuvre to maintain relevance across the political divide in a post-Raila landscape. Ida Odinga has long been recognized as a powerful and influential figure within Kenya's political fabric, and her role is seen as potentially pivotal in shaping the future of the Odinga political legacy.

The visit occurs as the Odinga family home becomes a centre of political gravity, with leaders from across the spectrum paying their respects in what are also seen as initial steps in the country's political realignment. The presence of Kalonzo Musyoka, a steadfast ally of the late Odinga, at the home on Thursday underscores the ongoing consultations about the future of the opposition.

Salasya's visit, therefore, will be heavily scrutinized. It raises questions about his relationship with his former coalition partners and his strategy for navigating the complex succession politics within the opposition. For a politician who has built a brand on being an outspoken and unpredictable force, this gesture of condolence adds another layer of complexity to his political identity and future ambitions.