ODM party leader and Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga returned to the Senate chamber on Thursday. It was his first sitting after weeks away for treatment in Kenya and abroad. Senators rose and gave him a standing ovation as he took his seat, Capital FM reported.
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi welcomed him back. He said the House was glad Oburu had recovered and that senators were "very excited" to see him. Oburu, 83, then rose to speak. He said the illness had given him time to reflect on life and on finishing his mission.
"I had the spirit when I was lying there that I would not die, and I'd not die before I finished my mission. That is why I'm up," he said, according to Capital FM. He told the House he had feared he would die before he could share some of his feelings. He said he would seek another chance to address senators at greater length.
Oburu singled out Nyandarua Senator John Methu, secretary-general of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP). He said Methu visited him and called him while he was sick. People think the two are enemies because of their public statements, he added. He told leaders that politics should not destroy friendships, because rivals may work together tomorrow.
He also urged Kenyans to stay united whatever the outcome of the 2027 General Election. He said the country was bigger than any individual and that whoever wins should win fairly, Capital FM reported. Citizen Digital and The Eastleigh Voice reported that he thanked Kenyans for the goodwill messages that sustained him while he was bedridden.
Citizen Digital reported that Oburu flew to the United Kingdom on September 10 for what ODM called a routine medical check-up. Capital FM said he was admitted to Nairobi Hospital on October 2 and discharged on October 19. On November 4, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula and Kingi led a delegation of lawmakers to his Nairobi home to check on him.
False reports of his death spread on social media while he was away. On October 6, his office dismissed them as "malicious, unfounded fake news and propaganda," according to Citizen Digital. Oburu took over the ODM leadership after his younger brother, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, died in October 2025.