Kenya - Fake Standard Front Page Claims ODM Party Leaders Targeting Senior State Officials

27 January 2026
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Makinia Juma Sylvia

Kenya: fake Standard front page claims ODM party leaders targeting senior state officials

IN SHORT: A graphic circulating online appears to show Kenya's Standard newspaper front page claiming that Gladys Wanga and Ida Odinga are targeting the National Intelligence Service head and the interior principal secretary, accusing them of being behind ODM's collapse. But the front page is fake.

According to an image of what appears to be the front page of Kenya's Standard newspaper, Gladys Wanga and Ida Odinga are at the centre of an online debate about the future of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party.

Wanga is the governor of Homa Bay county in western Kenya and the ODM's national chairperson. Ida Odinga is the widow of former ODM leader, Raila Odinga.

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The front page says the conversation has been amplified by rumours and commentary about who now influences ODM's direction after Raila's death in October 2024, with claims that state agencies are interfering in party politics.

Dated 8 January 2026, it carries the headline: "Gladys Wanga & Ida Odinga Targeting DG NIS & PS Interior claiming they are behind ODM Collapse."

According to the front page story, Wanga is "locked in a prolonged political standoff" with interior principal secretary Raymond Omollo, and the dispute has spilt into the public domain.

The summary alleges that the two are accusing senior state officials, including the director general of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and Omollo, of being behind ODM's troubles. It suggests the claims are linked to internal party leadership tensions and shifting support in the Nyanza area.

Odinga's widow has long been a visible figure around ODM politics through her association with the party's founder and long-time leader. Although she does not hold an elected party position, she is often seen as influential within ODM's wider political network, especially during moments of internal tension and leadership realignment.

Since Odinga's death in October, the party's top leadership has appeared to flip-flop on its relationship with president William Ruto's government. Once political rivals, Ruto and Odinga had signed a deal to officially work together.

The front page image has been posted on Facebook pages and groups.

But is it authentic? We checked.

Altered front page

Africa Check traced the origin of the front page to a Facebook page called Daily Standard, which has been responsible for numerous digitally altered front pages mimicking the design of the Standard newspaper. This strongly suggests that the circulating front page is also fake.

The Standard usually posts digital versions of its front pages on its verified social media accounts, including Facebook and X, as well as on its e-paper platform. We searched these accounts and the platform and found the authentic front page for 8 January.

The genuine front page is headlined: "Betrayed in death." While the original front page focuses on internal rivalry and power struggles in ODM following Odinga's death, it does not make the claims contained in the circulating image.

The circulating front page has been digitally altered and should be disregarded.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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