The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has challenged former President Uhuru Kenyatta to explain why his administration facilitated the transfer of power to President William Ruto if he believed the late Raila Odinga had won the 2022 presidential election.
ODM Party Leader Senator Oburu Oginga said Uhuru’s remarks, made on Tuesday, September 22, had reopened a painful chapter for the party and millions of Kenyans who supported Odinga.
Uhuru said during a Jubilee Party National Executive Council meeting in Nairobi that he remained convinced that Raila won the 2022 presidential election.
In a statement dated Thursday, September 24, 2026, Oburu said the former president’s remarks confirmed what ODM had maintained after the election, but questioned why he had chosen to speak about it four years later.
“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.
He posed three questions to Uhuru, starting with why the revelation had emerged four years after the disputed election rather than when the alleged electoral injustice occurred.
“Why is this revelation important now, four years later, and not when the said electoral injustice occurred?” Oburu asked.
He also questioned why Uhuru’s government facilitated the transfer of power to Ruto if the former president was convinced that Raila had won.
“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 posed.
The ODM leader further asked what Uhuru expected Kenyans to do with the information at this stage.
“What exactly does President Kenyatta expect the Kenyan people to do with this information today?” Oburu said.
ODM recalls 2018 Handshake
Oburu also revisited ODM’s political relationship with Uhuru following the 2018 Handshake, saying the party made significant political sacrifices in the interest of national unity and stability.
He said ODM did not demand Cabinet or administrative positions in Uhuru’s government despite what he described as the party’s political strength.
Ahead of the 2022 election, Oburu said ODM again made concessions, including giving up its pursuit of key elective positions such as the Nairobi gubernatorial seat in support of the wider coalition arrangement.
He said the sacrifices were made in good faith.
The 2022 presidential election results declared Ruto the winner with 7,176,141 votes against Raila’s 6,942,930 votes. The Supreme Court subsequently upheld the result.
“The 2022 election and the sacrifices of our departed Party Leader must not be reduced to material for contemporary vote-winning propaganda,” Oburu said.
“Having reopened this matter, President Kenyatta should tell the country the whole story.”
Uhuru’s remarks have since reignited debate over the 2022 presidential election as political parties position themselves ahead of the 2027 General Election.
