lawyer Miguna Miguna has launched a fresh and scathing attack on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), describing the party as a “cult” whose political relevance, he argues, will fade following the death of its longtime leader Raila Odinga.

Speaking during a recent interview, Miguna claimed that ODM does not qualify as a political party in the institutional or democratic sense, arguing that its existence was entirely dependent on Raila’s personal charisma and dominance.

“The truth is that there is no party called ODM,” Miguna said. “ODM is not a party — it is a cult. And the cult leader died.”

According to Miguna, Raila’s passing has left ODM without a unifying figure capable of sustaining its political structure or influence, a development he believes is inevitable and ultimately beneficial for the country.

“Because the cult leader is gone, the cult cannot continue,” he said. “Its collapse would actually be good for Kenya.”

Miguna further argued that ODM was never a democratic institution, insisting that internal democracy was incompatible with what he termed a cult-like political structure.

“A cult cannot be democratic,” he said. “The illusion that ODM was a democratic party and a necessary institution for the wellbeing of the country is what kept Kenya in a kind of political trance.”

Using vivid imagery, Miguna likened ODM’s supporters to followers under hypnosis, suggesting they had been politically conditioned to follow Raila unquestioningly.

“It is like a trance — a state of reverie,” he said. “The members were kept there through mysticism.”

He went on to compare the situation to religious gatherings where worshippers appear overwhelmed by emotion, arguing that ODM supporters would eventually “snap out of it” now that Raila is no longer alive.

“Eventually, because the cultic leader is no longer there, these people will come out of that trance,” Miguna said. “When that happens, Kenya will move on normally.”

Miguna’s comments are the latest in a long-running and bitter political fallout between him and Raila Odinga, with whom he once shared a close working relationship.

While Raila remains widely celebrated by supporters as a central figure in Kenya’s democratic struggle, Miguna continues to challenge what he views as the mythologising of the former prime minister’s legacy.