Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Oburu Odinga defended his controversial call for President William Ruto to adopt benevolent dictatorship.
While speaking in Yala, Gem Constituency, Siaya County, Oburu said critics took his remarks out of context and twisted them on purpose. He insisted he did not push for authoritarian rule, but instead, he urged the president to show firm, selfless leadership as he carries out reforms that would benefit the country.
Oburu added that the word “benevolent” matters most. He accused critics of overlooking its meaning.
“If those people don’t understand English, I will teach them,” Oburu said.
He explained that his comments aimed to keep Ruto focused on delivering transformative government programs, even when political resistance grows.
“I encouraged the president to occasionally use a level of ‘benevolent dictatorship’ to stand firm, cut through the political noise, and make the hard, bold decisions needed to deliver the absolute best for all Kenyans,” he said.
Oburu said benevolent leadership means leaders place citizens’ interests above personal or political gain.
“Benevolent means a president who stays selfless, serves his people, and brings a vision that benefits them. But some people drag you around, and then you end up implementing their agenda first,” he said.
He cited Singapore’s rapid economic transformation as an example of how decisive leadership can accelerate national development.
“Let us learn from what Singapore did. Their leader used benevolent dictatorship to drive Singapore into the First World,” Oburu said.
“At independence, Singapore and Kenya had similar levels of development. Today, Singapore’s economy stands about 40 times larger than Kenya’s. That outcome came from focused, determined push,” he added.
Oburu initially made the remarks last week during the signing into law of the Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill, 2026, at State House in Nairobi.
At the event, he argued that governments often struggle to carry out major reforms because vested interests push for short-term projects rather than long-term national development.
“We have served in government. I worked as an Assistant Minister of Finance, and we tried to move forward. However, private interests that want to benefit from small infrastructure projects, projects that do not take the country anywhere, always apply pressure on the government and block progress,” he said.
“Sometimes democracy becomes too much. Leaders should allow a little benevolent dictatorship so that some things can move. Mr President, I don’t want to say you should become a dictator. I am not saying that,” he added.
