The walls separating government and opposition continue to thin as President William Ruto has roped n more ODM leader Raila Odinga’s allies into state roles, signaling deepening political realignment ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Once fierce critics of Dr Ruto’s presidency, some of the opposition leaders’ long-time trusted allies are now walking the red carpet into government — their names inked in fresh appointments to key state boards.
In a Gazette notice dated Friday, May 16, the Head of State, in yet another wave of appointments, considered more allies of the ODM leader in various parastatal jobs.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 58 (a) of the Energy Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint— Lawrence O. Gumbe (Prof, Eng) to be the Non-Executive Chairperson of Board of Nuclear Power and Energy Agency, for four (4) years, with effect from the 16th May, 2025,” states the Gazette notice.
Prof Gumbe is a long-time ally of Mr Odinga since his times in the National Development Party (NDP) and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
He served in various capacities in the parties, including holding the position of National Election Panel (NEP) in LDP before the formation of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
In a dramatic move, Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Eric Muuga revoked the appointment of Mr Odinga’s critic Odoyo Owidi as chairman of the Lake Victoria South Water Works Development Agency (LVSWWDA), and replaced him with Daniel Shem Omino, a kin to the late National Assembly deputy speaker Joel Omino, a long-time Odinga ally.
The late Omino was one of the founders of the LDP party after Mr Odinga merged NDP with former president Daniel Moi’s Kanu.
Mr Owidi got a taste of his own medicine, following sustained onslaught against Mr Odinga in the Nyanza region. He was also a vocal critic of the slain Kasipul MP Ong’ondo Were.
Also, in the list of new appointees is; Anne Michura who was appointed by Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum Opiyo Wandayi to be a member of Board of Nuclear Power and Energy Agency, for a period of three (3) years.
Consequently, Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe re-appointed Mr George Odhiambo Oballa to be a member of the Board of the Kenya Animal Genetics Resource Centre, for a period of three (3) years.
Mr Odinga continues to enjoy the trappings of power even though he has insisted that his ODM party remains in the opposition.
Siaya senator Dr Oburu Oginga, Mr Odinga’s brother recently let the cat out of the bag when he said that the ODM party would support president Ruto’s re-election in 2027 “if he fosters unity and lives to his development promise.”
“Our agreement with the government through the MoU we signed in March is hinged on a 10-point agenda which we are seeking the achieve through collaborative measures. We shall work with them until 2027 and if we recognize that we worked well, we shall agree, if not, we shall part ways,” Dr Oginga asserted.
He has in the past said ODM was ready to pay Ruto’s political debt following his support for Mr Odinga’s presidential ambition in 2007.
The recent ODM-UDA MoU has 10-point agenda for action, which if implemented fully, the party would consider backing Dr Ruto’s re-election, according to the Siaya senator.
They include; full implementation of Nadco (National Dialogue Committee) report, inclusivity in budgetary allocations and public appointments, protection and strengthening of devolution, economic investment in the youth and leadership, integrity and end of opulence.
Others are; guaranteeing right to peaceful assembly, compensation of all pending claims of rights victims, auditing of national debt and how it was used, fighting corruption, ending wastage of public resources as well as protecting the sovereignty of the people, ending abductions, respecting constitutionalism and rule of law and press freedom.
In seeking to get a foothold in Mr Odinga’s camp, president Ruto has also appointed his nephew, Dr Oginga’s son Jaoko Oburu as Adviser, Economic Empowerment and Sustainable Livelihoods.
The appointment was made last month through a letter from the office of the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.
Mr Odinga’s strategist Prof Adams Oloo had also been appointed to an advisory role by President Ruto before he later resigned and opted to remain in the selection panel for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
He had initially been appointed as the president’s Strategy and Communication Adviser, alongside Dr Sylvester Kasuku whom is handling Governance.
Also in the team is a close aide of Mr Odinga; Joe Ager who is serving as the Secretary for Governance.
Mr Ager and Prof Oloo were in the team that brokered a truce between President Ruto and the ODM leader, leading to opposition politicians joining the Cabinet.
Prof Oloo has been Mr Odinga’s adviser for many years and played important roles in his presidential campaigns and also served in the National Dialogue Committee technical team.
Dr Kasuku served as the Secretary for Infrastructure and Lapsset Corridor Project at the then-Office of the Prime Minister.
In a surprise move early this Month, the Head of State also brought in Prof Makau Mutua – his longtime fierce critic, who now says his past attacks against the Head of State were driven by his desire for a better nation.
In an interview with the Nation, the law scholar said he has a long history of being critical of the ruling elite, citing his past criticism against former Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta, Mwai Kibaki, as well as Daniel Moi.
He made the remarks in his defense after accepting appointment by President Ruto as a Senior Advisor on Constitutional Affairs.
The appointment elicited mixed reactions with some Kenyans questioning his stance after he had said in an opinion article that he cannot work for Dr Ruto.
In the article titled “Somebody thinks I can work for Ruto (excuse me while I laugh)” which was published on July 18, 2020, Prof Mutua described Dr Ruto, who was then Deputy President, as a politician who has always been on the wrong side of history.
He said Dr Ruto had no history of fighting for democracy or human rights, describing him as an ‘anti-reform, anti-democratic voice.’
But the new Prof Mutua has described the President as a ‘listening leader’, who needs more ‘good people’ around him to move the country forward.
