NAIVASHA, Kenya — President William Ruto has praised ODM for placing what he described as national interests above political considerations, saying the party made a consequential decision at a critical moment for Kenya.
Speaking in Naivasha on Monday during a broad-based government meeting, Ruto said ODM, under the leadership of the late Raila Odinga and current party leader Oburu Oginga, would be remembered for choosing what he called a forward-looking path when the country was at a political crossroads.
“I am very proud of my former party. You, led by the late Raila Odinga and now Oburu Oginga, will go down in history as a party that, when the nation was at a crossroads, chose to point forward for the nation,” Ruto said.
The President said the Naivasha meeting was significant because it brought together political ideas from ODM and his Kenya Kwanza administration, creating what he described as a convergence of previously competing political programmes.
Ruto credits ODM for Azimio ideas
President Ruto said his administration had incorporated elements of the Azimio agenda into the Kenya Kwanza development programme, arguing that ODM had played a major role in shaping those proposals.
“That is why this meeting is very consequential, because we bring a hybrid of ideas and converge the plan that was in Azimio, largely carried by ODM, and converge it with the Kenya Kwanza plan,” he said.
According to the President, the political cooperation between ODM and the Kenya Kwanza administration has helped accelerate the implementation of development programmes over the past two years.
“That is why, in the last two years, the programme of implementing what we wanted for Kenya has picked up,” Ruto said.
The remarks reflect the dramatic shift in Kenya’s political landscape following the decision by ODM and Kenya Kwanza to work together after years of political rivalry.
President contrasts alliance with opposition
The President also contrasted the cooperation between his administration and ODM with what he described as disorder within the opposition.
He portrayed the broad-based government arrangement as an example of political actors putting national development ahead of partisan competition.
The President’s remarks came during a meeting that brought together leaders from different political backgrounds under the broad-based government framework.
The alliance between Ruto’s administration and ODM has significantly altered the political calculations ahead of the 2027 General Election, with some ODM leaders taking up government positions while others continue to question the direction of the cooperation.
Ruto’s praise of ODM also comes amid growing debate over the party’s political future following the death of its former leader Raila Odinga and the subsequent elevation of Oburu Oginga to the party leadership.
