NAIROBI, Kenya – Just hours after Raila Odinga and President William Ruto sealed their political pact, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa came out swinging, calling the deal a betrayal of Kenyans.
The two opposition figures, speaking at the People Dialogue Festival, made it clear that they won’t be following Raila into the Kenya Kwanza fold.
Instead, they doubled down on their commitment to Gen Z activists and ordinary Kenyans, who they say feel abandoned by the new alliance.
“Betrayal in the City”
Kalonzo didn’t mince words. Taking the stage at the event, he warned that unless Raila pushed for justice for victims of the 2023 and 2024 Finance Bill protests, the agreement would amount to nothing more than a sellout moment.
“If out of what they are signing at KICC, they do not come with a formula on how to address the injustice meted on Kenyans on June 25, 2023, that will be betrayal in the city,” Kalonzo declared.
He further dismissed the notion that ODM’s deal with UDA would sway the public, predicting that Kenyans would reject the coalition just as they have opposed the Kenya Kwanza administration’s policies.
And if his speech wasn’t clear enough, he later took to X (formerly Twitter) to double down:
“What has come out of KICC today is the biggest BETRAYAL of Kenyans. The People’s Loyal Coalition will NEVER betray Kenyans for temporary comfort.”
What has come out of KICC today is the biggest BETRAYAL of Kenyans. The People’s Loyal Coalition will NEVER betray Kenyans for temporary comfort.
History Will Judge Them, Wamalwa Warns
If Kalonzo’s speech was fiery, Eugene Wamalwa’s was blistering. The DAP-K leader accused Raila of walking away from the fight for the people in favor of a deal with Ruto.
“We choose to stand on the side of Gen Z and the people of Kenya. For those who have left the opposition to join the government, history is a harsh judge. May history judge them,” Wamalwa remarked.
His comments underscore a growing rift in the opposition, with ODM now in uncharted waters as it partners with the same government it once fiercely opposed.
With the 10-point MoU signed between ODM and UDA, the two parties have pledged to work on key national issues, including implementing the NADCO report, fighting unemployment, and tackling corruption.
But critics argue that the pact is more about political survival than real reform.
