NAIROBI, Kenya – Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Oburu Odinga has sought to reassure party supporters that the outfit’s autonomy and founding principles remain intact despite its continued cooperation with President William Ruto’s broad-based government.
Oburu said ODM’s engagement with the Kenya Kwanza administration was driven by the need to secure development for its supporters and stabilise the country during a period of heightened political tension, not by electoral endorsement of President Ruto.
The cooperation was formalised on March 7, when the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga signed a ten-point working agenda with President Ruto, effectively ushering in a working relationship between ODM and the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
The pact was reached at the height of the Gen Z-led anti-government protests in June 2024, sparked largely by public outrage over the proposed 2024 Finance Bill.
The demonstrations paralysed parts of the country and exerted significant pressure on the government, forcing it to seek political consensus to calm the unrest.
The UDA–ODM cooperation has since been credited with easing political temperatures following the passage of the controversial Finance Bill, which had triggered sustained protests across the country.
Speaking at a public forum during the Christmas period, Oburu said ODM’s entry into the arrangement was unconventional and conditional, stressing that the party had not voted for President Ruto in the 2022 General Election.
“We came into this government through the window because we did not vote for William Ruto. This is not a government we voted for, and all of you know that,” Oburu said.
Oburu assumed leadership of ODM following the death of his younger brother, Raila Odinga, on October 15 while undergoing treatment in India — a moment that marked a major turning point for the party, long defined by Raila’s leadership.
Raila’s death triggered internal debate within ODM over the nature and future of its association with the Ruto administration, particularly on whether the party should support the President’s re-election bid.
While one faction has insisted that backing Ruto beyond the current term was never part of the March 7 agreement, another argues the cooperation was strictly temporary and should lapse ahead of the 2027 General Election.
In recent months, Oburu himself had appeared to lean towards supporting Ruto’s re-election, but his latest remarks struck a more cautious tone, suggesting ODM would instead focus on strengthening its internal structures and could field its own presidential candidate in 2027.
“We are in the government, and we don’t like being there. We are working together nusu nusu,” he said. “We are in this government with a specific agenda — the ten-point agenda we put forward. Meanwhile, we shall continue strengthening our party. By 2027, we shall have had enough because we want development.”
Oburu emphasised that ODM’s continued participation in government hinges on the implementation of the agreed development agenda, not political alignment ahead of future elections, adding that the party would make decisions on 2027 at the appropriate time based on its interests and those of its supporters.
