Jubilee Party Deputy Organising Secretary Pauline Njoroge has taken issue with President William Ruto’s remarks about the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) during the burial of the late opposition leader Raila Amolo Odinga.
In a post on her X account on Sunday, October 19, 2025, Njoroge said she was disappointed by the president’s comments, which she felt portrayed an intention to control or silence voices within ODM.
She explained that she had deliberately stayed away from political debates to honour Raila’s memory, but Ruto’s statements forced her to speak up.
“Out of my deep respect for Baba, I wanted to avoid politics for now. But my goodness! Did Ruto just say hatakubalia wale wanataka kuchukua ODM waende wakacheze karata ya opposition? In short, he’s declaring that he will silence dissent within ODM,” Njoroge wrote.
She went on to accuse the president of hypocrisy, noting that on the very day Raila passed away, he signed the Cybersecurity Bill into law — legislation she believes contradicts everything Raila stood for.
“No wonder, on the very day Baba died, Ruto, being fully aware, went ahead and signed the Cybersecurity Bill into law. A law that seeks to stifle the very freedoms Baba fought for all his life,” she added.
Njoroge mourned Raila as a true defender of freedom and justice, warning that Kenya had entered uncertain times under the current administration.
“The man who fought for this country and safeguarded our freedoms is gone. May God help us as we navigate these uncharted waters under this regime,” she said.
What Ruto said at the funeral
Speaking during the burial ceremony in Bondo, President Ruto urged ODM members to remain united, promising his government’s support for the party in honour of the late leader.
“I assure ODM members that we will support them because Baba believed in the strength of multiparty democracy. ODM’s stability matters to me because it’s key to building a strong democracy,” Ruto said.
He added, “ODM will either form the next government or be part of it. What I will not allow, in honour of Odinga, is people turning ODM into an isolated opposition party.”
Njoroge’s response has since stirred heated debate online, with Kenyans split over whether the president’s words were a show of respect or an attempt to interfere in ODM affairs.
