Senator Oburu Oginga Returns to Senate After Illness, Calls for Political Unity

Siaya Senator and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Oburu Oginga resumed his parliamentary duties on Thursday November 12, 2026, entering the Senate to a standing ovation from fellow lawmakers.

In his first address he urged Kenyans to avoid divisive politics, stressing that citizens should be able to hold different political opinions without letting those differences damage personal relationships, and called for mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.

Reflecting on his two-month illness, Oburu thanked Kenyans for messages of goodwill, said he had feared dying before completing his life’s mission, and recounted hearing a spiritual voice that told him he would not die before finishing his mission, stating, “Madam Speaker, that’s why I’m up.”

He highlighted the support of Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) Secretary-General John Methu, who visited his Karen residence on September 4, 2026 bringing two goats and two rams, and who called and visited him regularly throughout his hospitalisation, noting that “people yet think that we are enemies because of the statements we make up there.”

Oburu also recalled his long-standing friendship with Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, describing Musyoka as a close friend and former adviser, while acknowledging that political alignments sometimes change.

The senator’s health problems began with a routine medical check-up in the United Kingdom on September 10, 2026, followed by admission to Nairobi Hospital on October 4 for hypertension and fatigue, discharge on October 19, and the consequent absence from the opening of the Raila Odinga Mausoleum on October 7 and other political engagements.

His return and remarks came as Kenya approaches the 2027 general elections, with Oburu urging leaders to separate personal friendships from political competition and to maintain relationships despite differing policy positions.