ODM after Raila: Cracks formed before his death may rupture as Ruto seeks to have say

ODM leader Raila Odinga with other party leaders during celebrations to mark ODM 20 years in existence. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

Raila Odinga’s exit is giving the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) its biggest test yet. ODM is on the weighing scales of organized leadership. It is a test of institutional stability versus personal charisma. Will the Orange party survive without Odinga? 

The task before ODM evokes whispers of histories of great edifices. It is the history of invaluable lessons that later generations either don’t know about, or lessons they fail to take if they know the story. Raila Odinga was a charismatic leader who centralized power around himself. He built a formidable political machine through personal brilliance. He consolidated authority in that environment to the extent that he became synonymous with the machine. The machine was ODM.