Working with Ranguma was a forced marriage: Kisumu Deputy Governor Ruth Odinga

Does Raila collect money from politicians as Aden Duale once claimed?

Which politicians? What money can they give Raila? Please do not confuse the ODM party and Raila. The party has its own structures with proper financial systems.

Politicians and other members are required to pay subscription fees, though this is rarely the case. Claims that money is collected from politicians outside these channels is pure propaganda to paint Raila negatively and hamper his presidential ambitions.

I can tell you for free that Raila will be the president of this country after the August 8 elections irrespective of such propaganda.

You have previously defended your right to equal opportunity as Adhiambo and not the daughter of Jaramogi or Raila Odinga’s sister...

We (Oginga family) have been victimised because of the Odinga name. It is traumatising when people think that we do not deserve to have our rights just because we belong to the Odinga family.

Just like any other Kenyan, we have our own merits which ought to be respected. I lost university admission in Kenya in the 1980s because of the Odinga tag, and I had to further my studies in Norway.

I lost a job opportunity in the Ministry of Finance in the late 1980s because of the same tag, and every member of my family has faced victimisation just because of the tag. That is why most of us are in private business.

It is time members of my family are given opportunities based on merit without necessarily invoking the Odinga lineage.

Did this ‘victimisation’ lead to you bowing out of the Kisumu gubernatorial race?

I made a personal decision to drop out of the race. It is true that people talked about how Raila siblings ought to exit the stage to give him easy time in his presidential quest.

But personally, I wanted to concentrate on the presidential campaign and thought I needed to be free.

Having been the voice of the ‘oluwo reru’ ( which literally means ‘people who came by rail,’ but is meant to denote people of different clans from outside Kisumu ) ahead of the ODM primaries, and with Kisumu County politics currently dominated by clannism, could this have affected your ambition to be governor?

I have always spoken for everybody and I know every corner of Kisumu County. What I was pushing for is for people who have come to live in Kisumu to be given a chance to run for leadership positions just like other residents, because they have a stake in the county’s economy.

I felt that Ranguma did not give them opportunities and that is why I wanted to provide an alternative voice, which (Prof) Nyong’o has promised to correct in his government.

How did you join politics?

I did not join politics. I was born into politics and politics has naturally been in me. My father is Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and I was born in the 1960s when he was deep in national politics.

I started accompanying him to political rallies from the age of five. But I can remember addressing my first political rally in Ugunja (in Ugenya, Siaya County) when I was about seven years old.

After addressing the crowd, my dad introduced me and asked me to say something. I didn’t say much, except shouting “Ndume!” the Kenya People’s Union (KPU) slogan!

Are you likely to sink into political oblivion now that you will not be in elective politics for the next five years?

I am a political animal and taking a break from elective politics does not mean the end. I will still be in Kisumu and will be concentrating on other things, but also participating actively in politics.

You never know when I may bounce back to run for governorship.

What would you describe as your greatest achievement as deputy governor?

I was never anybody’s deputy. I had run for the gubernatorial position and I had my own mission and vision for Kisumu, which I never had time to implement because the governor (Jack Ranguma) never gave me time to.

We were in constant disagreement because he was afraid that if he gave me the chance to work, I would outdo him. But in the few assignments he gave me, I remember pushing the revenue from markets from Sh1.5 million per month to Sh5 million per month within two months.

I also pioneered performance contracting to enhance service delivery in the county. But in all the instances I was being tossed around with my responsibilities given to other people as soon as I settled to work.

What was your lowest moment working with Governor Ranguma?

The entire term was my lowest moment! Remember, I left the private sector, having been the MD of multinational companies (Petroplus and Spectre International) where I was involved in management work.

I thought I could replicate that in the county, but that proved impossible because of the constant disagreements with the governor.

It was a forced marriage and I think this should be a lesson to other gubernatorial aspirants that they need to pick people whom they can work with as their running mates.

Are you likely to be nominated by ODM to Parliament?

I am not interested in a nominated seat and I am not aware if the party has that idea because they have not informed me so.

Anyway, I did not apply for nomination as that could have meant that I was conceding that I would lose. I still have a career to build and I have what it takes to win an elective position. I believe I would have won the Kisumu gubernatorial race had I been on the ballot.

I am not a legislative person, and would not just accept nominations to go and sleep in Parliament.

What next for you after August 8?

Kwani everybody who runs for a political seat wins? What do those who do not win do? Does life end for them?

I have a lot of things to do. I will be in Kisumu and will serve my county and country in any capacity.