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How Rosemary Odinga salvaged Raila’s campaign by coming up with the word ugatuzi
16th November, 2025 01:27 AM
Rosemary Odinga, the daughter of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, played an integral role in shaping her father’s campaigns ahead of the hotly contested 2007 elections.
Her role in defining and changing the scope of Raila’s campaign came when she helped come up with the word ugatuzi, a Swahili word that means “devolution.”
Also watch: “Forgive Raila,” Ida Odinga urges Kenyans as leaders visit Opoda Farm
Before she stepped in, Raila and his lieutenants were struggling with how to shape their campaign message, as they were firm believers in devolution.
However, they were using majimbo, a word that did not augur well with some communities, especially from the Rift Valley.
Speaking during the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) founding members’ dinner, the founding chairman, Henry Kosgey, took members down memory lane, giving details of how Rosemary’s brilliance saved the day.
According to Kosgey, the word ugatuzi also enabled the shedding of the ethnicity tag associated with the previous word majimbo, thus catapulting Raila’s campaign and giving him an edge even in the Rift Valley.
“We continued as a party towards the elections of 2007, and I can tell you, it was a hot election. I can tell you we fought on principles. We came up with that Chungwa Moja, Maisha Bora,” Kosgey recalled.
“But that time, there was also this idea of majimbo, and everyone thought this majimbo meant some ethnic occupation, particularly in the Rift Valley. Nobody wanted to hear it, but our brothers thought majimbo meant being expelled from an area. So we thought, What is the next word?”
Also watch: Raila Junior takes mantle as head of Odinga family in sacred Bondo ceremony
“So one day, Rosemary Odinga came up with the word ugatuzi. A young lady came up with that word, yet we were wondering if there is another word besides majimbo. But imagine, a young lady from Nyanza came up with the word ugatuzi because one of the principles of ODM was devolution,” he disclosed.
Tuko Tayari
At the same time, Kosgey credited Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o for helping ODM find its slogan, Tuko Tayari.
“When we were looking for a slogan, he is the one who came up with the one ‘Tuko Tayari.”
In his last rallying call, Kosgei asked ODM members to stick with the broad-based arrangement beyond 2027 and work with President William Ruto.
