Why Winnie Odinga Is the Best Person to Run Against William Ruto in 2027

With only one year left to Kenya’s next general election and no formidable opposition candidate to unseat the incumbent, we believe that Winnie Odinga is the only candidate who would give William Ruto a run for his money.

Winnie Odinga is the daughter of former prime minister and opposition leader, Raila Odinga, who passed away in 2025. But Winnie is not just Raila’s daughter. Winnie Odinga is a Political Science graduate from Drexel University in Philadelphia who wrote many of her father’s speeches before being nominated as a Member of Parliament at the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

To become the president of Kenya, one must be a Kenyan citizen, be 35 years of age, and have a university degree, all of which Winnie Odinga has. If it is a matter of qualifications, Winnie is qualified. If it is a matter of last names or popularity, Winnie has that, too.

But the reason that Winnie would make a great president for Kenya is not that she is Raila’s daughter but because she would bring a reset and change from the same old political faces we are used. One thing many people wished was that Raila would hand over to a successor from the younger generation. Currently, many view either Babu Owino or Edwin Sifuna as successors to Raila, but we argue that Winnie has something to offer.

Winnie is not Gachagua, Kalonzo, Maraga, or Matiangi. Winnie is young and a woman. Kenya has never had a female president, and with William Ruto currently seeking the votes of Luo Nyanza, Winnie is probably the one person whom the people of Luo Nyanza would vote for in lieu of Ruto.

Unfortunately, Raila was never able to become president, but it is very much possible that his daughter could become president. Honestly, two things make Winnie Odinga the perfect president. Number one is the fact that she is a woman, which would make it very difficult for Ruto to attack her on the campaign trail the same way he would a male candidate. In addition to being a woman, she is also a novice in politics, meaning she has no track record for anyone to judge. Nobody can say she failed at anything because she has not been in office, unlike Kalonzo, Gachagua, or Matiangi.

The second thing that makes Winnie Odinga a great candidate for 2027 is that the memory of Raila is still very fresh on Kenyans minds, and many people would give her sympathy or pity votes similar to how they voted for Uhuru and Ruto when they were being investigated by ICC. Of course, one would say that Winnie is not ready now and should run later, but you never know. With the right running mate and financial muscle, Winnie Odinga would at least pose a threat and make the 2027 elections interesting. Nobody would expect it! Nobody expected Donald Trump to become president, but he shocked many on his first run. Winnie Odinga is the closest thing that Kenya has to a Gen Z president, and she is qualified.