NAIROBI, Kenya – East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Winnie Odinga has defended President William Ruto over the slow implementation of the 10-point agenda agreed under his political understanding with the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Winnie said the President could not be expected to implement the entire framework alone, arguing that its success depends on the collective efforts of government institutions, officials and other actors involved in delivering the commitments.
Speaking during a YouTube podcast aired on Saturday, August 29, 2026, Winnie cautioned against placing the full responsibility for the pace of implementation on Ruto.
Winnie says Ruto cannot implement agenda alone
According to Winnie, transforming society requires the involvement of multiple institutions and individuals, meaning the President cannot personally oversee every aspect of the 10-point agenda.
“It’s not something for Ruto to do alone. You can’t change a society alone. And I think it may be doing it a disservice, or serving as a disservice, depending on who’s running these processes,” she said.
She argued that some of the people entrusted with implementing the commitments could be comfortable with the status quo, potentially contributing to delays.
“Some people are just happy with the status quo. And so, even though his intention might be wonderful and he may want this thing done…”
Winnie maintained that responsibility for delivering the agenda should therefore extend beyond the President to the officials and institutions charged with implementing individual commitments.
10-point agenda followed Ruto-Raila pact
The 10-point agenda emerged from the political understanding between Ruto and Raila, which brought together the two political camps around a framework addressing a range of national issues.
The agreement created expectations that the government would pursue reforms and other commitments contained in the framework.
Its implementation has nevertheless attracted scrutiny, with questions raised over the pace at which various commitments have been addressed.
Winnie’s comments offer a defence of Ruto while also shifting attention to the wider group of actors responsible for implementing the agreement.
Compensation of protest victims cited as progress
Despite acknowledging that implementation has been slow, Winnie pointed to the compensation of victims of protests as evidence that progress has been made.
She said a committee had recently presented a report identifying victims and determining the amount of compensation required.
“There’s been some effort by way of victim compensation. Uh, the committee just brought the report, and they’ve figured a number and mapped people, um, for that compensation,” she said.
She described the development as one of the notable areas of progress under the agreement, even as other commitments remain pending.
