ADVERT 
ADVERTSiaya Senator Oburu Oginga Odinga has publicly declared that he is qualified to serve as Kenya’s Deputy President, saying the country’s second-highest office should be up for negotiation within the Kenya Kwanza-ODM broad-based political arrangement.
Speaking during President William Ruto’s meeting with village elders at State House, Nairobi, on Tuesday, Oburu boldly stated that he possesses the experience and credentials required to occupy the “number two” position.
“Particularly the number two position. Don’t you think I deserve to be number two? Can’t I be number two? I am more than qualified,” Oburu said to applause.
The veteran politician made the remarks while reaffirming ODM’s commitment to President Ruto’s re-election bid in the 2027 General Election, revealing that the party would not field its own presidential candidate.
According to Oburu, the presidency has already been settled in favour of Ruto, with every other position in the broad-based government remaining open for negotiations.
“At this time, we in ODM will not have a presidential candidate. Our candidate is William Ruto. All the other positions are negotiable,” he declared.
The comments are expected to fuel fresh political debate over the future of the broad-based government and succession politics ahead of the 2027 elections.
Oburu’s declaration also comes just days after he vigorously defended ODM’s controversial zoning strategy, arguing that the party must protect its traditional political strongholds from rivals.
ADVERTSpeaking on Sunday, the Siaya senator rejected criticism of the zoning policy, insisting that counties where ODM enjoys overwhelming electoral support should remain exclusively under the party’s political influence.
“Some people say they don’t want zoning. If you don’t want zoning, then what do you want? We want zoning because Homa Bay is our zone. We don’t want UDA in Homa Bay,” he said.
Oburu argued that counties where ODM has elected governors, Members of Parliament and Members of County Assembly automatically qualify as the party’s political zones.
“We start with our areas where we have strongholds, where we have our governors, where we have our MPs and where we have our MCAs. Those are our zones automatically without negotiation,” he added.
His latest remarks are likely to intensify discussions within both ODM and the Kenya Kwanza alliance over power-sharing arrangements, as political leaders begin positioning themselves for the 2027 General Election.
