‘Tunataka pawa’ and 4 other viral moments of Oburu Odinga
By Charles Ouma, February 19, 2026Orange Democratic Movement party leader Oburu Odinga has turned into an internet sensation with viral moments and phrases as the political temperatures heat up.
From addressing the divisions in ODM to rallying the public behind a cooperation with President William Ruto, the Siaya Senator
The ODM party leader has been churning slogans in the heat of the moment, attracting praise and controversy in equal measure.
His elevation to ODM party leader following the death of his younger brother, Raila Odinga, enhanced his profile, giving the public a glimpse of a side that they were not familiar with.
He caused laughter amid grief as he introduced his two wives at the funeral service of Raila at Nyayo National Stadium.
“At my age, I don’t want her (elder wife) to scratch me, I don’t want her to massage me, so I brought her a helper, Judith Oburu,” the Senator said as he introduced his second wife, a moment that went viral.
Since then, he has churned more, blending humour with hard politics and mastery of the political landscape and below are some of them.
We tell them ng’ooooo
Oburu was in Mombasa on Sunday, February 15, 2026, where he dismissed the rival ODM faction and those not supporting his quest to lead the party into a cooperation arrangement with Ruto.
While holding the skin on his face just below the eye and bulging his eyes, Oburu dismissed those whom he claimed wanted to pull the party backwards, blending humour with raw politics.
“Those who want to pull us backwards, we tell them ng’oooooo,” Oburu said as he urged the crowd to join him in dismissing.
The video was widely circulated on social media, adding to the catalogue of his viral moments.
Assurance to Kindiki sparked confusion
When reports surfaced indicating that ODM is interested in having the Deputy President position reserved for the party as part of a deal to back President Ruto’s reelection, the Siaya Senator and his party became the centre of attention.
A host of UDA lawmakers were not impressed with the demands, with some from the Mount Kenya region asserting that the slot should be left for the current occupant, Kindiki.
When Ruto and Oburu visited Kisumu to launch the disbursement of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Project, Oburu sought to calm the storm but produced yet another viral moment as he appeared to contradict the earlier position of the party laying claim to the DP slot.
“Mr. Deputy President, do not think we want your seat and chase you. You are our friend, but as we negotiate, we will do so according to what our people and party deserve,” Oburu said, sparking confusion.
Lazima tupate pawa
A few days after sparking controversy in Kisumu with remarks declaring that ODM was not interested in Kithure Kindiki’s seat, Oburu was at it again, delivering yet another viral moment.
Asserting that his party has every intention of capturing power, including the DP slot currently occupied by Kindiki, the party leader rallied ODM supporters behind.
“Hatuwezi kuwa bila power. Ni lazima tupate power. (We want power),” Oburu asserted.
Brutal political fight to oust Sifuna
The drama surrounding the failed ouster of party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna is perhaps the most brutal fight yet for the 82-year-old.
He unleashed his claws, dressing down Sifuna, whom he compared to a player failing to observe the rules of the club, as the party’s National Executive Council agreed to replace the Nairobi Senator with Catherine Omanyo.
In the wake of the drama, Oburu claimed at a church service in Mombasa that Omanyo is the party’s secretary general while Sifuna is the secretary general of the court.
“If you don’t follow the rules of the party, you keep out of the party, but if you follow the rules, you will be part and parcel of us. That is why we have our SG Catherine Omanyo, and the other SG, party ilisema akae nje kidogo kwasababu ya kukosa nidhamu, lakini hatujafukuza yeye kwa chama. Yule ni SG wa court, na huyu ndio SG wa chama,” Oburu said.