Ida reaffirmed her loyalty to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the broad-based government arrangement, maintaining that Raila had recognised Ruto’s leadership and instructed her to support the political arrangement before his death.
Speaking in Suba North, Homa Bay County, on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, the Kenya Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme urged Raila’s supporters to remain in ODM and respect the political position he left behind.
She challenged those who had supported the former Prime Minister throughout his political career to remain consistent with his beliefs and decisions, warning against abandoning the political direction he had embraced before his sudden death.
“When Baba left us, Hon. Raila Amollo Odinga, who was my husband, he left us suddenly, and he was gone. Some people came to the funeral, others did not,” Ida stated.
She further insisted that she had no intention of changing her political position, urging supporters to maintain their commitment rather than shift allegiance whenever political circumstances changed.
“Where he left me is where I am still standing. I know he left a lot of people. Where he left you is where you should stand. You don’t shift. You don’t shift,” she added.
Ida outlined three positions she intends to maintain, namely remaining an ODM member, supporting the broad-based government and standing behind President Ruto’s leadership, which she said Raila had personally recognised.
“For me, he left me in ODM. That is where I stand. He left me in broad-based. That is where I stand. He told me that President Ruto is the leader, that’s where I stand and there is nowhere I am going,” she declared.
Her remarks come amid growing divisions within ODM over its continued cooperation with Ruto’s administration and the party’s political direction ahead of 2027, with her declaration reinforcing the broad-based arrangement without explicitly endorsing Ruto’s re-election bid.
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