Gladys Wanga Meets ODM Women Leaders Amid Party Tensions, Millie Odhiambo Absent

Nancy Odindo is a Current Affairs Editor at TUKO.co.ke, covering political and world news. Odindo has over six years of journalism experience and joined TUKO.co.ke in 2023.

Homa Bay governor and ODM national chairperson Gladys Wanga convened a meeting with the party's women leaders on Thursday, October 22, calling for unity at a time when the party is grappling with growing internal divisions.

Governor Gladys Wanga meets ODM women leaders amid party tensions, with MP Millie Odhiambo absent. Photo: Gladys Wanga. Source: FacebookWanga announced the gathering on her Facebook page, describing it as an opportunity to reaffirm shared commitment to the party.

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ODM also weighed in on the significance of the occasion, framing it around the memory of party patriarch and former premier Raila Odinga.

The meeting drew attention not only for what was said but also for who was missing. Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo did not attend the session, her absence coming against the backdrop of a well-publicised rift between herself and Wanga.

Odhiambo previously accused the governor of sending her associates to disrupt events she organises in her constituency.

While the MP had stated that she has no interest in the Homa Bay governorship, she made clear that her conflict with Wanga will persist publicly if the governor continues what she described as disrespectful conduct.

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Odhiambo has also been accused by some party figures of sitting on the fence amid the current political turbulence within ODM.

Her absence at the meeting sparked speculation even as a section of Kenyans congratulated Wanga for bringing together the leaders, including those who had expressed outrage against her, such as Kisumu woman representative Ruth Odinga and Homa Bay's Joyce Bensouda.

Neither Odhiambo nor the party clarified her absence at the time of this publication.

Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo has not attended the ODM women’s meeting amid her rift with Governor Gladys Wanga. Photo: Millie Odhiambo. Source: FacebookODM battling internal defectionsMeanwhile, the women leaders' meeting came at a particularly sensitive moment for the party, with a faction of ODM members breaking away to align with the Linda Mwananchi Movement.

The movement, led by a section of ODM leaders who fell out with the party's mainstream, including Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna, has attracted members from within the party's traditional strongholds and across the country.

Wanga's push to rally women leaders around the party's unity message appears to be a direct response to the threat of further fragmentation, as ODM seeks to consolidate its base ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Nancy Odindo (Current affairs editor) Nancy Odindo is a current affairs writer at Tuko.co.ke (joined in 2023). She has one year’s experience in print and more than five years’ experience in digital media. Nancy holds a B.Sc. in Journalism from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. Email Nancy at nancy.odindo@tuko.co.ke