Oburu Oginga breaks silence on hospital admission

ODM Party leader and Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga speak on phone at his Nairobi home on September 1, 2026. [Oburu Odinga]. 

Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga has addressed reports linking him to a fresh hospital admission, dismissing the claims as false.

Speculation over the health of the 83-year-old ODM party leader had grown after he stayed away from public engagements for more than a week, with some reports claiming he had returned to hospital shortly after an earlier admission.

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 discharged him on Monday and he was now 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."

ODM Party leader Oburu Oginga at his home on September 1, 2026. [Oburu Oginga]

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.