The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has turned former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s claim that Raila Odinga won the 2022 presidential election back on him, demanding an explanation for why he allowed the transfer of power to President William Ruto if he believed the election had been won by the late opposition leader.
In a statement dated September 24, 2026, and signed by ODM party leader Senator Oburu Oginga, the party said Kenyatta’s remarks had revived a painful chapter in Kenya’s political history and raised fresh questions over the events surrounding the 2022 transition.
ODM said it had held the view at the time that Odinga had won, but accepted the outcome after the constitutional process challenging the presidential result was exhausted.
“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,” the party said.
Uhuru made the fresh claim on September 22 during a Jubilee Party meeting in Nairobi, where he said he remained convinced that Odinga had won the August 9, 2022 presidential election.
He cited the performance of the coalition backing Odinga in parliamentary and county contests as part of the basis for his position.
Official results, however, declared Ruto the winner with 7,176,141 votes, representing 50.49 per cent, against Odinga’s 6,942,930 votes, or 48.85 per cent, according to the Supreme Court record of the election.
Odinga and other petitioners challenged the presidential result before the Supreme Court, which upheld Ruto’s election, effectively ending the constitutional contest over the outcome.
Four years later, ODM says Kenyatta’s decision to revisit the election has created a new set of questions, particularly about his actions as president during the transition that followed the disputed poll.
“Now that President Kenyatta has chosen to exhume the deeply painful question of the 2022 election, he owes Kenyans some answers,” the party stated.
The party first questioned the timing of the former president’s remarks, asking why he had waited until 2026 to speak openly about his belief that Odinga had won.
“First, why is this revelation important now, four years later, and not when the said electoral injustice occurred?”
ODM then turned to Kenyatta’s role in the handover of power, asking why his administration facilitated the transition to Ruto if he was convinced that Odinga had secured the presidency.
“Second, 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?”
The party also wants Kenyatta to explain what he believes Kenyans should do with the information now that the election was settled through the constitutional process.
“Third, what exactly does President Kenyatta expect the Kenyan people to do with this information today?”
ODM said the matter could not simply be treated as another political argument because presidential elections determine who exercises authority on behalf of the electorate.
“These are not academic questions. Elections concern the sovereign will of the people and the legitimacy of government.”
The party also revisited its political dealings with Kenyatta after the 2018 Handshake with Odinga, saying it made political sacrifices in the interest of national unity and stability.
ODM said it reduced its political ambitions during that period and did not seek Cabinet or administrative appointments in Kenyatta’s administration despite its strength within the political coalition.
The party said it made further concessions ahead of the 2022 election, including abandoning its pursuit of key elective positions such as the Nairobi gubernatorial seat as part of broader coalition arrangements and the presidential campaign.
According to ODM, those decisions were made in good faith and within the understanding that the political partnership was aimed at advancing national interests.
Uhuru’s comments have since opened a wider political debate, with leaders from different sides taking opposing positions on his account of the 2022 election.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has supported Kenyatta’s assertion that Odinga won the election.
UDA leaders, however, have questioned the former president’s decision to revisit the issue years after the disputed election. UDA Secretary-General Hassan Omar, Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse and Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi have separately challenged aspects of Kenyatta’s account and his timing.
The renewed debate has also brought back disagreements within the former Azimio coalition over how its 2022 campaign was organised, including questions surrounding the deployment and management of election agents.
Former campaign officials and political leaders have previously exchanged accusations over the manner in which the campaign was conducted.
ODM, however, warned against turning Odinga’s death and political legacy into ammunition for present-day political contests.
“The 2022 election and the sacrifices of our departed Party Leader must not be reduced to material for contemporary vote-winning propaganda,” the party said.
The party said Kenyatta had now reopened an issue that had been left behind after the constitutional process and should therefore provide a fuller explanation of what he knew and what happened during the 2022 election.
ODM said Uhuru should tell Kenyans the complete account if he had chosen to revisit the circumstances surrounding the transfer of power.