Raila Odinga Junior Backs Ruto Re-Election as Moi Family Alleges Political Land Takeover

On Monday, October 19, Raila Odinga Junior publicly declared his backing for President William Ruto’s re-election while reaffirming his loyalty to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and announcing his intention to contest the Kibra parliamentary seat on an ODM ticket.

He said he would marshal support for President Ruto across the country and invoked his father’s legacy, stating he would stay in the broad-based government and rally people for the President’s re-election.

Junior also pledged allegiance to his uncle, ODM party leader Oburu Oginga, and urged his sister Winnie Odinga, who plans to run for the Nairobi Senate seat, to go through ODM’s internal nominations and face Lang’ata MP Phelix Odiwuor (Jalang’o), who is also seeking the seat.

He congratulated Jalang’o and said “as ODM, we are behind you,” signalling support for the fellow party candidate.

The statements come amid a growing rift within the Odinga family over political alignments ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The family of former President Daniel arap Moi has alleged that a five-acre parcel of land near the Eldoret State Lodge, registered as Eldoret Municipality Block 8/62, was seized by armed General Service Unit officers on political grounds.

Their lawyer Moses Mutisya said a senior government official ordered the eviction of occupants of properties adjacent to the State Lodge to allow construction of security fences, and that the family, which has owned the land since 1996, was not given a formal notice to vacate.

Mutisya claimed the operation was politically motivated to frustrate the Moi family rather than a genuine land dispute, and said the family would pursue legal action if the authorities do not reverse the directive.

The incident follows a February 2026 statement by State House Comptroller Katoo Ole Metito to the National Assembly’s Administration and Internal Security Committee that the government had recovered about 100 acres belonging to Kakamega State Lodge and was addressing encroachment around State Houses, including previous actions at Eldoret State Lodge, though no link to the Moi family case has been confirmed.