'She is grieving,' Millie Odhiambo defends Winnie Odinga

According to the legislator, Winnie, who was close to Mr Odinga, should be allowed time to mourn her father as she is also being poised to fit into his gigantic shoes.

"We want to make the Odingas superhuman. Winnie is a young girl who has lost her father, whom she adored. Grief of a person you loved is deep," Millie said on NTV's Fixing the Nation programme.

MP Millie added that Winnie is also trying to navigate the gnarly political path of ODM, which has been left with dissenting voices among some of its members and pressure on Odinga's elder brother Oburu Oginga, 82, who was elected as the new party leader.

"She is worried that people might challenge his authority because she thinks that maybe we are rushing things, but she supports the positioning. She is just like we should have properly validated, so it does not look like it is an imposition, the Odingas are taking over."

Winnie showcased boldness during the just-concluded ODM 20th anniversary celebrations in Mombasa, proving that she is a true student of his celebrated father and bears the apparatus to follow in his footsteps.

The Suba North MP, however, admitted that Odinga's demise has left a vacuum that cannot be filled expeditiously, noting that the party will strive to reshape itself politically before regaining prominence.

"And not just ODM, a lot of people who believe in justice, democracy and the values that Baba believed in feel orphaned because he has been consistent over the years. There is going to be a bit of a bumpy ride, and so it is normal," she added.

She said that finding Odinga's successor, one with an equal political influence and charisma, can only be identified with time, despite the existence of worthy candidates who grew under the premier's tutelage.

Some of them include Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff, Mining Cabinet Secretaries Hassan Joho (Mining) and John Mbadi (Treasury), Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.

"He groomed very many capable people. The mistake we are doing is looking for a Baba in each of us. Just look for somebody who can be good in their own right. They are all capable but the chips will fall in place or what we say in Luo, Juogi will speak," she said.

This comes amid speculation of cracks within the 20-year-old party as some of its members support the broad-based government to honour Mr. Odinga's partnership with President William Ruto's administration.

Some have, however, hinted that the party’s political direction could change in 2027 as members will sit then and decide on the way forward going into the next elections.

She fronted an example of Senator Sifuna, who cannot campaign under the broad-based agenda in a metropolis like Nairobi, noting that he will have to devise a fresh, all-inclusive tactic to gain dominance on the campaign trail.

"In politics people look out for their own interests. Their reality is that Nairobi is a very different scenario. In Suba North they will accept is Baba said we are in broad-based until 2027, but if Sifuna goes to Nairobi and pushes that agenda, he is in trouble," she noted.

Winnie, Sifuna and MP Babu, who are now viewed as those steering one of the splinter groups, have called for the party to allow the public to determine its direction.

Speaking during the party's coastal celebrations, Winnie, who also serves as East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP, noted that Raila was the only one the party trusted to manage broad-based affairs, and the people should now decide who should take up that responsibility.

"When it came to the matter of broad-based government, the people of ODM entrusted one person, who is Raila. That relationship is complicated, and therefore, we're wondering if those who are taking it upon themselves to manage are capable?" she posed.

"That's not a question for me to answer. That's a question for the people to answer. Party leader, that's why I'm requesting we go back to the people and have an NDC (National Delegates Conference) and see who the people want to pick to manage that relationship."

Additionally, Babu noted that the party must stand firmly with the people, adding that should the government renege on its promises, ODM must be ready to take to the streets.