Gladys Wanga refutes claims Raila is seeking dialogue for selfish gains

Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has defended ODM leader Raila Odinga against claims that his call for national dialogue is motivated by personal interests, stating that the push for talks remains rooted in the party’s position of promoting peace and structured engagement over chaos.

Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Thursday, July 17, 2025, Wanga explained that Raila’s stance on dialogue aligns with the official ODM position and has been consistent since last year, when public anger was at its peak.

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She noted that this anger was what prompted Raila to call for a national conversation, stressing that dialogue remains the most effective tool to resolve grievances.

“The ODM position is the same as Raila’s position on dialogue. We have a memorandum of understanding with the government, but the anger from citizens was very palpable last year. That is why he asked for dialogue. His call was for the country to sit down and talk because nothing can be resolved without people airing their grievances,” Wanga said.

Addressing criticism that dialogue has not yielded results, Wanga challenged those opposing talks to present viable alternatives, warning against the path of violence.

She explained that the solution lies in identifying the constitutional areas that require urgent attention and discussing them in an organised manner rather than descending into anarchy.

“If people feel like the Constitution is not being implemented, then let us identify the most pressing areas and have structured conversations about them. Leaders do not have to lead anything, and even Raila does not want anything for himself from these dialogues,” she clarified.

Wanga insisted that discussions should focus on constitutional compliance and national priorities rather than descending into chaos.

She added that existing agreements, such as commitments to end extrajudicial killings, must be implemented as outlined in the MOU with the government, while additional concerns can be addressed through inclusive forums.

“So let us say if the Constitution is not being implemented, let us identify the areas and have that conversation. Because this thing of going online, each person saying ‘let us implement this’ and another saying ‘implement that’, does not work. The things that we know—like stopping extrajudicial killings—are already in the MOU, so let us work on them to bring them to a stop. For the things we do not know, let people bring their views as well. Talking has never killed anybody; it is better than anger and anarchy,” she said.