A seemingly random decision by former Electoral Commission of Kenya chairman Samuel Kivuitu during symbol allocation for a constitutional referendum two decades earlier may have inadvertently shaped the formation of the Orange Democratic Movement. Kivuitu initially handed a banana to representatives of the opposition camp before changing his mind and giving them an orange instead, according to founding chairman Henry Kosgey, who wondered how events might have unfolded differently with the alternate symbol.
The opposition coalition opposing President Mwai Kibaki's constitutional proposal later transformed into a political party after Tourism Minister Najib Balala publicly announced the plan during a rally in Kisumu. President William Ruto recalled that the concept originated during discussions at Imperial Hotel before the event, with Oburu Oginga and Balala collaborating on the announcement. Registration complications arose when lawyer Mugambi Imanyara had already secured the ODM name, prompting organizers to register ODM Kenya through alternate channels before eventually obtaining the original certificate through negotiations.
The opposition coalition opposing President Mwai Kibaki's constitutional proposal later transformed into a political party after Tourism Minister Najib Balala publicly announced the plan during a rally in Kisumu. President William Ruto recalled that the concept originated during discussions at Imperial Hotel before the event, with Oburu Oginga and Balala collaborating on the announcement. Registration complications arose when lawyer Mugambi Imanyara had already secured the ODM name, prompting organizers to register ODM Kenya through alternate channels before eventually obtaining the original certificate through negotiations.
