Raila Odinga Junior has endorsed Lang'ata MP Jalang'o for the Nairobi Senate seat on an ODM ticket, days after his sister Winnie Odinga declared her bid for the same position in 2027.
Raila Odinga Junior has endorsed Lang'ata MP Phelix Odiwuor, popularly known as Jalang'o, for the Nairobi Senate seat, days after his sister Winnie Odinga declared her intention to contest the same position in the 2027 General Election.
Junior made the remarks on Friday at an event attended by Jalang'o, Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris and supporters. He declared his backing for the lawmaker's bid on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket.
"I would like to thank Jalas for offering himself for the Senatorial position. I would like to assure you that we (as ODM) are behind you; we are supporting you," he said.
Junior also reaffirmed his loyalty to ODM, saying his late father, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, had left the family in the party.
"Baba (Raila Odinga) left us inside ODM, and that is where we are, and our brother belongs to ODM, and I am solidly behind these two," he added.
He said ODM should not hand candidates direct nominations for the 2027 elections, insisting that aspirants should compete through the party's nomination process. Junior said he was prepared to face the process himself as he seeks the Kibra parliamentary seat, a constituency closely associated with his late father's political career.
His endorsement comes less than a week after Winnie announced her intention to contest the Nairobi Senate seat during the first anniversary commemoration of Raila's death on October 15.
"Let it not be a rumour that as Edwin Sifuna searches for higher offices, I see there is some space in Nairobi, and that is why I have decided I will vie for Senator of Nairobi County," Winnie said.
Her declaration put her in the same race as Jalang'o, who has already expressed interest in the seat under the ODM ticket. The contest could also be shaped by the political future of incumbent Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who has declared his interest in the presidency.
Junior's public backing of Jalang'o could expose competing political interests within the Odinga family. The siblings now appear to favour different paths in the Nairobi Senate contest, a development that will be closely watched as ODM prepares its nomination process.
With the party insisting that aspirants earn their tickets, the race for Nairobi's Senate seat is shaping up as one of the most closely watched contests within ODM ahead of 2027.