NAIROBI, Kenya – President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Oburu Oginga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) are laying the groundwork for a formal pre-election coalition ahead of the 2027 General Election, a move that would see ODM back Ruto’s re-election bid.
The two parties have informally agreed to begin drafting a coalition agreement, expected to be signed in 2026, subject to approval by ODM’s top decision-making organs.
The arrangement would require ODM to formally exit the Azimio La Umoja coalition it entered before the 2022 polls alongside parties such as Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper and Eugene Wamalwa’s Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K).
The emerging alliance was discussed and endorsed in principle during a high-level meeting held on Saturday at President Ruto’s Kilgoris home in Narok County, where he hosted senior ODM leaders for lunch before travelling to Migori for the Junet Mohamed saucer tournament in Suna East.
Present at the Kilgoris meeting were ODM party leader Oburu Odinga, his deputy and Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sharrif Nassir, party chairperson and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, and National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed.
Cabinet Secretaries drawn from ODM — Hassan Joho, Opiyo Wandayi, John Mbadi and Wycliffe Oparanya — also attended.
“The issue will be taken to the party early next year and once endorsed, then we will sit down to draft the deal,” a senior official who attended the meeting said.
ODM is scheduled to hold its National Delegates Convention (NDC) in the first quarter of 2026, where the proposed coalition is expected to be debated and possibly ratified.
Under Kenya’s Constitution and the Political Parties Act, parties are allowed to form binding pre-election or post-election coalitions, which must be deposited with the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.
Beyond securing a stake in government appointments, ODM is understood to be pushing for strategic political concessions, including lobbying for the deputy president slot to go to the Western Kenya region as part of the negotiations.
Momentum for formalising the pact gained pace on Monday after Governor Nassir became the most senior ODM leader yet to publicly call for the coalition, arguing that political leadership sometimes demands tough, pragmatic decisions.
“I am calling on my colleagues within the ODM party to consider formalisation of a pre-election coalition with the United Democratic Alliance in good faith ahead of the 2027 elections,” Nassir said. “This position is informed by a sober assessment of the political terrain, the balance of forces, and the pathways available to protect our interests and advance our agenda.”
President Ruto has also openly courted ODM in recent days, signalling readiness to strike a deal to strengthen his re-election prospects.
“Be ready,” the President told ODM leaders in Migori on Saturday, adding that he would also prepare his team to form a joint government.
On Sunday, speaking in Homa Bay, Ruto reiterated the call for unity, saying both UDA and Kenya Kwanza were ready to “strategise and join hands” in forming a government that would transform Kenya into a first-world country.
However, the proposed pre-election pact has exposed deep divisions within ODM.
A faction led by Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and Siaya Governor James Orengo has openly opposed the deal, warning against aligning with the ruling party.
In response, Wanga and Junet have accused the dissenting voices of being influenced by former President Uhuru Kenyatta and have vowed to neutralise what they describe as internal rebellion, insisting that cooperation with Ruto offers ODM the most viable political pathway.
“We must choose engagement over perpetual confrontation, strategy over sentiment, and outcomes over slogans,” Nassir said, adding that ODM would rather work with partners who demonstrate “respect and tolerance” than align with those perceived to marginalise the party.
