ODM leader Oburu Oginga has challenged former President Uhuru Kenyatta to explain his recent claim that the late Raila Odinga won the 2022 presidential election, questioning why he has raised the issue four years after the polls.
Uhuru made the remarks on September 22, 2026, during a Jubilee Party meeting in Nairobi, saying he remained convinced that Odinga had won the election despite William Ruto being declared the winner. The Supreme Court subsequently upheld Ruto’s victory.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Oburu said Uhuru’s remarks confirmed what ODM had maintained after the 2022 election.
He said the party had eventually chosen to move on after exhausting the constitutional avenues available to challenge the election outcome.
“For ODM, this confirms what we believed and maintained at the time. However, after exhausting the constitutional avenues available to us, we chose to let the matter rest and move the country forward,” Oburu said.
Oburu questions timing of Uhuru’s remarks
Oburu questioned why Uhuru had chosen to revisit the 2022 election four years after the contest, rather than addressing the issue at the time.
He said the former president’s comments had reopened a painful issue for ODM and supporters of the late opposition leader.
“Now that President Kenyatta has chosen to exhume the deeply painful question of the 2022 election, he owes Kenyans some answers,” Oburu said.
He asked why the alleged electoral injustice was not raised when it occurred and why Uhuru’s administration facilitated the transfer of power if the former president believed Odinga had won.
“First, why is this revelation important now, four years later, and not when the said electoral injustice occurred?” Oburu asked.
Why was power transferred to Ruto?
Oburu also focused on the events that followed the 2022 election, questioning why Uhuru’s government facilitated the transfer of power to Ruto.
“Second, if he was convinced that Raila Odinga had won, why did his government facilitate the transfer of the instruments of power to a person he believed had not won?” he said.
Oburu further questioned what Uhuru expected Kenyans to do with the information at this point.
“What exactly does President Kenyatta expect the Kenyan people to do with this information today?” he asked.
Oburu said elections were directly linked to the sovereign will of voters and the legitimacy of government, arguing that Uhuru’s remarks had therefore touched a sensitive issue within ODM.
“President Kenyatta must understand that his statement touches a raw nerve within ODM and among millions of Kenyans who stood with Raila Odinga,” he said.
ODM recalls 2018 Handshake
The ODM leader also revisited the political relationship between the party and Uhuru following the 2018 Handshake.
According to Oburu, ODM reduced its political ambitions in the interest of national unity and stability and did not demand Cabinet or administrative positions in Uhuru’s government despite its political strength.
He said the party also made further compromises ahead of the 2022 election.
Among them, he cited ODM’s decision to give up its pursuit of important elective positions, including the Nairobi gubernatorial seat, as part of the wider coalition arrangement supporting Odinga’s presidential bid.
Oburu said those decisions were made in good faith and were intended to support the broader coalition project.
Oburu warns against using 2022 poll for political gain
Oburu said the sacrifices made during the 2022 election should not be turned into material for contemporary political campaigns.
“The 2022 election and the sacrifices of our departed Party Leader must not be reduced to material for contemporary vote-winning propaganda,” he said.
He called on Uhuru to provide a fuller account now that the former president had reopened the debate over the 2022 election.
“Having reopened this matter, President Kenyatta should tell the country the whole story,” Oburu said.
Uhuru’s comments have since reignited public debate over the 2022 presidential election, particularly his assessment of the result and the events surrounding the subsequent transfer of power.
