They were speaking at Sony Complex Guest house in Awendo constituency after meeting CS John Mbadi.
Religious leaders in Migori County have urged the Luo community to rally behind the broad-based government and endorse Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi as the region’s senior-most representative in President William Ruto’s administration, amid growing speculation over who will succeed the late opposition icon Raila Odinga as the community’s political “kingpin.”
Speaking on Friday, three weeks after Odinga’s burial at Sony Complex Guest House in Awendo constituency after a closed-door meeting with CS Mbadi and Governor Ochilo Ayako, the clergy framed their support as both a spiritual directive and a pragmatic response to the leadership vacuum left by Odinga’s death.
Bishop Dr. Peter Midodo, of the Pentecostal Evangelistic Fellowship of Africa (PEFA) said the pastors had offered “a very specific and very special prayer” for Mbadi, whom they described as “the man Raila left for us in government.”
“There has been rumour that with the passing of Baba Raila, there is a vacancy in our community,” Midodo told journalists.
“Already people are campaigning, sending emissaries to funerals, saying they want the position of kingpin. This is a position we’ve never elected anybody to, especially from Nyanza. But Raila left our people in government, and the most senior is CS John Mbadi.”
Midodo highlighted Mbadi’s credentials: a 17-year parliamentary career, a decade as ODM national chairman, and his current role as Treasury CS.
“Mbadi has the experience, the expertise, and what it takes to represent us in the central government,” the bishop said. “If anybody has an issue, come and ask us.”
The clergy’s endorsement extends beyond Mbadi to the broader Kenya Kwanza administration.
They threw their weight behind President Ruto’s development agenda, citing affordable housing, modern markets, and reforms in the sugar sector, critical to Migori’s economy, as evidence of progress.
“We support the broad-based government,” Midodo declared. “We are telling our sons and daughters in politics that Raila left us in government. We are not going anywhere soon. President Ruto is our candidate for 2027.”
He warned local politicians against “betraying” Ruto, pointing to the president’s presence at Raila Odinga’s funeral as a gesture of respect the community should honor.
The clergy also praised Ruto’s intervention in the sugar industry, calling for swift elections to the sugar board so farmers can elect their representatives.
Bishop Joshua Otigo of Deliverance Church Migori echoed the call for unity and peace.
“Our hero is dead, but the future of Kenyans is not dead,” he said. “There are people to rise up and take the mantle. Politicians must work in harmony so the youth, economy, and politics can move forward.”
Otigo invoked Raila’s famous mantra, “it is not the bullet, it is the ballot”, as the path to lasting peace.
The meeting comes as political undercurrents swirl in Nyanza over Odinga’s succession.
While Mbadi enjoys institutional backing within ODM and now clerical support, other figures are quietly positioning themselves.
Odinga’s brother, Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga, has assumed interim ODM leadership and clan patriarch role, emphasizing unity and rejecting a hasty “kingpin” race.
A while back Odinga’s son, Raila Odinga Junior, was installed as family head in a traditional Luo ceremony on October 23, a move some interpret as grooming for broader influence, though Oburu clarified it as cultural, not political.
ODM leaders, led by the Chair and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, have warned younger politicians against premature jostling, insisting no vacuum exists and urging patience under Oburu’s guidance.
Nevertheless, ODM insiders have echoed calls for restraint, with MPs like Kisumu West’s Rosa Buyu stressing that the world is watching how the Luo community handles this transition to avoid fracturing the unity Odinga forged.
Although Mbadi’s technocratic profile and long loyalty to Odinga position him strongly, but regional divides, pitting Central Nyanza against South Nyanza, could complicate matters.
Broader concerns include fears of a weakened opposition and potential heavy-handed state responses to dissent in Odinga’s absence.
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