By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 28 January 2026 - A section of youths has escalated pressure on political actors to rein in what they describe as “dirty politics” playing out on social media, warning that the public spat involving Salah Oketch and EALA MP Winnie Odinga risks degenerating into personal abuse rather than constructive engagement on issues that matter to the electorate.
Led by Isiah Nabii, Evans Wafula and Michael Olweny, the youths accused rival camps of dragging the country’s political discourse into the gutter through online attacks, insults and insinuations.
They singled out a recent exchange in which Winnie reportedly launched a sharp personal attack on Oketch Salah, telling him that he had the option of either seeking help at Mathare Mental Hospital or facing the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The remarks, widely shared on social media platforms, have triggered outrage and renewed debate on the tone of politics and the boundaries of acceptable political engagement.
The youths said such language was not only demeaning but also dangerous, arguing that it trivialises mental health issues while weaponising state institutions for political point-scoring.
“This kind of rhetoric lowers the bar of leadership and sets a very bad example for young people who look up to these leaders,” Nabii said, calling for sobriety and restraint in public communication.
The youth called for respect, peace, love and unity among leaders and their supporters as is emboldened in the national anthem saying fighting in public sphere is not going and could undermine ODM unity.
"We don't want the party unity to be fragmented now and so we are humbly requesting our leaders to comb their mouth and speak words which eddifies and unites not those that scatters fans into opposite direction," said Ofula.
The youth claimed that the clarion call should be " gather all but scatter None," in the wake of the new unfolding political dispensation in the country and Nyanza by extension.
They reaffirmed their utter respect to both Winnie and Salah saying the respect should be upheld if they also reciprocate the same gesture in affirmative way.
At the centre of the storm is Salah’s increasingly visible political profile and his relationship with the Odinga family, which has continued to attract public attention and speculation.
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Analyst Stephanie Owiti says this proximity has made him both a beneficiary of heightened visibility and a target of intensified scrutiny and attacks.
The youths, however, warned against personalising political competition, saying differences should be handled through dialogue and democratic processes rather than public humiliation.
Wafula said the ongoing social media wars were crowding out substantive debates on unemployment, cost of living, governance and development.
“We are tired of leaders fighting each other online while young people struggle with real issues. Politics should be about ideas, not insults,” he said.
Olweny urged Winnie and Salah to step back from the brink and engage each other directly, preferably in public dialogue, to iron out their differences.
He said open, respectful conversation would not only cool tensions but also demonstrate political maturity and leadership.
The youths warned that if left unchecked, the online mudslinging could inflame divisions and entrench hostility, particularly among young supporters who often mirror the behaviour of their leaders.
They called on political actors to stop using social media as a battleground for personal attacks and instead use it as a platform to articulate policy positions, inspire unity and promote issue-based politics.
In a parting shot, the group said Kenya’s democracy would only be strengthened if leaders chose dialogue over confrontation and respect over ridicule, insisting that dirty politics has no place in a country grappling with complex social and economic challenges.
