A joint Parliamentary Group meeting scheduled for today between President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and former opposition leader Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) will be something of an incestuous affair.
This is because after Odinga’s death last October , his ODM has been reduced to an appendage of President Ruto’s squad of podium dancers and praise singers.
The meeting today is expected to receive a progress report on the 10-point agenda signed one year ago between President Ruto and Odinga to address the critical national issues that create an unstable political environment, including continuous bouts of post-election unrest, and the Gen Z uprising of 2024.
If word from the grapevine is anything to go by, the monitoring committee will provide a glowing assessment indicating at least an 85 per cent implementation score on the 10-point checklist.
That is laughable, considering that on the ground implementation is at near zero, but that outcome is not surprising considering that what is now effectively the Ruto wing of the late Raila’s ODM does nothing but parrot what the UDA party leader decrees.
The meeting today will endorse the fake positive assessment, paving the way for the real substantive agenda of the day, the road map for a political pact by which ODM will officially lay aside its foundational principles to back President Ruto’s quest for a second term, in return for key leaders biting scraps that will fall from the UDA buffet table.
In the meantime, it is necessary to put together a more realistic scorecard on the 10-point agenda, distinct from the fraud to be unveiled today:
My scorecard on the 10-point agenda
1. Full Implementation of the Nadco report: The National Dialogue Committee was established by President Ruto and Odinga to address concerns from the post-election unrest after the 2022 polls. Key recommendations centered on electoral justice by audit of the contentious election by which Dr Ruto came to power, and fair reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission; a more inclusive government through return of the Office of the Prime Minister and creation of the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition. There were also proposals to address the high cost of living, curb excessive government borrowing and runaway corruption, as well as the institution of a more equitable economic and social environment. Other than the contentious reconstitution of an electoral management body that seems beholden to the Ruto machinery, nothing else has been implemented, with only minimal progress seen in the publication of the requisite Constitutional and Statute Law Amendment Bills, but too late in the day to have realistic prospects of actualisation before the 2027 elections. SCORE 3/10
2. Inclusivity in public appointments and budgetary allocations: This issue, carried over from Nadco to the 10-point agenda, was supposedly resolved by the inclusion of ODM members in the Cabinet and other senior positions. Expansion of cronyism, access to the feeding trough and ethnic political engineering do not amount to inclusivity. The distribution of development resources is still used for political blackmail. SCORE 2/10
3. Protect and strengthen devolution: Intention has been announced to increase cash transfers to devolved units, but counties still remain hostage to disbursement delays. Remnants of the old Provincial Administration that lord it over county governments are being revived and strengthened rather than phased out. SCORE 1/10
4. Economic investment in the youth: Myriad initiatives supposed to support youth entrepreneurship, from the Hustler Fund to the latest Nyota fund, have been bastardised into political slush funds, extending the culture of handouts and political bribes. Poor audit and oversight mechanisms also ensure that most of the money disappears into the pockets of politicians. SCORE 0/10
5. Upholding integrity in public office and ending opulence: State House leads the way in blatant conspicuous consumption and marked contempt for integrity laws. SCORE 0/10
6. Safeguarding freedom of assembly, ending abductions, and protecting press freedom: The police and other security organs still act as youth wingers for the ruling regime, routinely dispersing opposition events, sometimes with lethal force. Abductions, extra-judicial killings, and politically-motivated prosecutions still go unpunished. SCORE 0/10
7. Audit and reduce national debt: Things are getting worse, not better. SCORE 0/10
9. Responsible management of public resources: See points 5, 7 and 8, above. SCORE 0/10
10. Protecting the sovereignty of the people: This was about upholding the Constitution and the rule of law. SCORE 0/10
Mr Gaitho, an independent journalist, is a former NMG Managing Editor for Special Projects. [email protected]
