Only two months after the death of opposition icon Raila Amolo Odinga, cracks are beginning to surface within his political home, with senior Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leaders openly questioning how the party handled his final farewell.

Nairobi County Assembly Majority Leader Peter Imwatok has claimed that ODM members were denied the opportunity to properly mourn their long-time leader, accusing political “brokers” and state machinery of taking over Raila’s burial and sidelining party loyalists.

Speaking on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 _the day Raila would have turned 81 — Imwatok said the speed and manner in which the burial was conducted left millions of ODM supporters emotionally stranded.

“We never mourned Raila as a party,” Imwatok said. “What happened was not an ODM farewell. The entire process was taken over, and our members across the country never got the space to grieve their leader.”

Imwatok argued that although Raila’s burial was conducted within 72 hours in line with his wishes, it quickly evolved into a state-led affair, leaving little room for the party to organize its own tribute. He said this departure from ODM tradition contradicted Raila’s lifelong political culture of consultation and grassroots engagement.

“Raila always listened to the people. He traversed regions before making major decisions,” he said. “But after his death, everything moved too fast. The party was never allowed to collectively process the loss.”

The Nairobi leader said ODM should still consider organizing nationwide remembrance forums to give supporters closure and reaffirm the party’s identity following the loss of its founding figure.

His remarks come amid growing unease within ODM over competing claims about Raila’s political intentions after death, particularly assertions by some leaders that he left behind private instructions.

ODM Communication Director Philip Etale has previously urged members to rely solely on Raila’s public pronouncements, cautioning against using alleged private conversations to advance personal political interests.

Etale described the emerging infighting as painful and disrespectful to Raila’s legacy, calling on party members to focus on strengthening ODM rather than deepening internal divisions.

“Raila asked us to build a strong party,” Etale said in an earlier statement. “What we are witnessing now would disappoint him deeply.”

He challenged ODM leaders to honour Raila by advancing his publicly stated goals, including party unity and the implementation of key national reforms he supported, such as the 10-point cooperation framework with President William Ruto’s administration.

As ODM navigates its post-Raila future, Imwatok’s remarks have reopened an emotional debate many supporters say was never fully addressed: whether the party was ever given the time and space to bid a proper farewell to the man who defined it for decades.