ODM party leader Oburu Oginga is currently out of the country for what a party official described yesterday as "a routine medical examination" following a brief Nairobi hospital visit.
Details revealed by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party communications Director Philip Etale yesterday disclosed that Oburu, who is also the Siaya Senator, left the country for treatment in the United Kingdom.
“The party leader flies out to the UK for a routine medical check-up after a brief Nairobi hospital visit...,” confirmed Etale.
Further reports indicated that Oburu is expected to fly back into the country on Saturday this week. His visit to the UK comes shortly after the party leader spent a brief period at Nairobi hospital on September 1, 2026, where reports indicated that only his close family members were allowed to visit him.
Before his hospitalisation, Oburu had last been seen in public on Saturday, August 29 and stayed away from the public for a week, further fueling speculation over his health condition.
He, however, later addressed the concerns, dismissing claims that he had been freshly admitted as false.
The 83-year-old Oginga questioned whether those spreading the claims had verified the information with him directly.
"Those people saying I have been readmitted, have they talked to me? They have not looked for me," he said.
He said doctors who discharged him on Monday had been recuperating at his Nairobi residence.
Thank you for your concerns. I have read the nation's digital news and wish to state that I am very well," he said, adding, "I had only briefly visited the hospital for a general checkup with my doctors and have since returned home."
Oginga noted that illness is part of normal life and urged Kenyans against alarm.
"Being sick is a normal human experience and should not alarm anyone. The day I am truly sick, I will inform you all, for I am a very transparent person," he added.
The senator said he received several visitors during his stay, including senior government officials.
"I have received so many visitors. Cabinet secretaries like Opiyo Wandayi, the Energy CS, visited me," he explained.
His clarification follows an earlier round of reports in August, when he was said to have been admitted, then discharged before a further stay.
Oginga assumed ODM's leadership in an acting capacity after the death of his brother, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, in October 2025, before delegates formally confirmed him as party leader in March 2026.
His age and health have since become contested ground within the party.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said last month that allies of President William Ruto had questioned Oginga's capacity to lead, citing his mobility and difficulty reading speeches at public events.
