Live update: Senators discuss governors snubbing summons
Siaya Governor James Orengo (right) and ODM Edwin Sifuna address residents of Ugunja town during a public rally by Linda Mwananchi faction on February 8, 2026.
The Linda Mwananchi faction of the Orange Democratic Movement Party will on Sunday March 8 hold a rally at the Jacaranda Grounds in Nairobi to present a parallel report on the implementation of the 10-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between their former leader, the late Raila Odinga, and President William Ruto last year.
According to Siaya Governor James Orengo and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who are leading the team, the report will represent the views of various stakeholders on the implementation of the MoU.
The date of the presentation is significant, as it marks one year since the agreement was signed on March 7, 2025.
President William Ruto and the opposition leader, the late Raila Odinga, sign an agreement between UDA and ODM in the presence of their party members.
In an interview with the Nation, Mr Orengo said the government had failed to fulfil the promises set out in the MoU and that they would be presenting an assessment carried out by members of the ODM party and other stakeholders.
“We are having a meeting of chairmen of ODM across the country to look at and review the MoU and come up with a document. And on March 8th, we will report to the people of Kenya in a mega rally at Jacaranda in Nairobi the outcomes,” said Governor Orengo.
The Linda Mwananchi tem are carrying out this process despite the existence of a Committee Overseeing the Implementation of the 10-Point Agenda and the NADCO Report (COIN-10), chaired by Dr Agnes Zani.
The five-member team is conducting public forums and analyzing data to report on progress in the next few days.
However, the Orengo-Sifuna-led team feel the government has not delivered on any of the pledges.
And as the deadline for the implementation draws near, the two rival ODM Camps are reading from different scripts and interpreting the March 7th date in their own way.
'Resign from government'
While ODM leader Dr Oburu Oginga and proponents of the broad-based arrangement say the date only signifies the first anniversary since the signing of the pact, critics feel it is the end of the arrangement and are even calling on the ODM experts to resign from government.
The team also believe that the government failed to meet their end of their bargain and called on the experts to leave the Kenya kwanza government
Mr Orengo said on the basis of working with other political formations with similar principles as those of ODM, UDA is very far, since the context the MoU came about was to stabilize a country that was in turmoil.
He believes that nothing can be achieved in the next few days to illustrate the good will from the government in implementing the MoU.
“March 7th is when the MoU expires and nothing can be done to extend because one of the people who signed the agreement is not alive to sign or to renew it. For me it comes to an end and talking about it is a political mistake. The fact is the 10-point agenda is stillborn,” said Mr Orengo.
He added that there are however those people who are dying to remain in President Ruto’s government because they are in their comfort zones and that MoU does not matter to them.
He challenged them to resign. “If they are truly ODM members, it will be an abomination for the ODM experts to continue serving in Ruto’s government after March 7th when we still have abductions, extrajudicial killings, rising debts, unemployment and the high cost of living. That is why they are scared and have been going round to do an assessment of what has been done or not, but for us, we want to return the party where it belongs.”
After the ODM Parliamentary Group meeting held on Tuesday, Deputy Party Leader Godfrey Osotsi supported Mr Orengo raising concerns about the 10-point agenda.
ODM co-deputy party leader Godfrey Osotsi.
“It is evident that our counterparts (UDA) are not keen on implementing the agreement in good faith and I reminded members that the implementation deadline is this Saturday, March 7, 2026. Those advocating the two-term narrative must be mindful of this commitment and ensure that our political engagements are grounded in accountability and respect for agreed principles.” Said Mr Osotsi in a statement.
But Dr Oginga and his allies claim they will be receiving an interim report on the MoU in March then celebrate its anniversary, dismissing claims that it will be the death of the broad-based government.
In the deal, President Ruto and the former ODM leader agreed to make public the final report detailing the status of the MoU’s implementation.
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