Dr. Oburu Odinga, the elder brother of the late Raila Amolo Odinga, has long been a steady hand within Kenya’s political landscape and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Following Raila’s passing, his appointment as the Acting Leader of ODM marks both a symbolic and practical continuity in the Odinga family’s enduring influence on Kenya’s reformist politics. 

As he assumes the mantle of Acting ODM Leader, Oburu’s leadership comes at a pivotal time for the party and the nation. His long experience in public finance, governance, and regional diplomacy positions him as a custodian of Raila Odinga’s democratic legacy.

Born in 1943 in Sakwa, Bondo, Siaya County, Oburu was raised in a family deeply immersed in the struggle for Kenya’s independence. His father, the late Jaramogi Og-inga Odinga, was Kenya’s first Vice President and a towering nationalist.

Dr. Odinga’s academic journey took him to the Soviet Union, where he attended the People’s Friendship University in Moscow. Between 1962 and 1970, he completed his Secondary School Certificate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and ultimately a PhD in Economics.

Upon returning home, Dr. Odinga joined the Ministry of Planning and National Development in 1981, where he worked as an Economist for over a decade. In 1974, before joining the Ministry, he had already tested the waters of public service as an elected councillor in Kisumu Municipality, where he gained firsthand experience with grass-roots governance and local administration. 

His political career formally began in 1994, when he was elected Member of Parliament for Bondo Constituency, a seat he would hold until 2013. During this period, he served as Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Finance. In 2013, Oburu was nominated to the National Assembly. Between 2018 and 2022, he represented Kenya in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), where he served as both MP and Commissioner. 

Dr. Odinga now assumes the helm at ODM, albeit in an acting capacity, after his brother Raila’s demise.

Raila will be remembered as the father of democracy. To millions, he was Baba – the father of the people. To history, he remains a distinguished statesman and a leader of the opposition whose political life was defined by courage and compromise. Known for brokering political deals that shaped Kenya’s coalition politics, Raila’s legacy endures in the stability of the institutions and movements he helped build, many of which his brother Oburu now stewards with quiet resolve.