President William Ruto (left) and economic strategists (Top row) Dr David Ndii, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, Prof Makau Mutua (Middle row): Prof Michael Chege, Prof Oduor Wanyande and Prof Karuti Kanyinga (Bottom row) Mr Joe Ager, Prof Adams Oloo and Dr Silvester Kasuku.
President William Ruto has enlisted some of the brains behind the late Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s economic policies in his latest bid to win over Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) strongholds and strategists ahead of his 2027 re-election campaign.
Daily Nation has established that President Ruto has directed his Economic Advisors, led by Dr David Ndii, to collaborate with Mr Odinga’s economic strategists—including Kisumu Governor Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, Prof Karuti Kanyinga, Prof Michael Chege, and Prof Oduor Wanyande—to develop policies aimed at propelling Kenya to First World status.
Prof Kanyinga and Prof Wanyande were instrumental in crafting the Azimio La Umoja Coalition’s economic blueprint for the 2022 presidential contest.
Also joining the team are Mr Dennis Onyango, Mr Odinga’s former spokesperson, and Mr George Omondi.
President William Ruto’s economic advisor Dr David Ndii.
The move adds to a growing list of Mr Odinga’s allies who have joined President Ruto’s administration following the formation of the broad-based government.
Prof Makau Mutua, a close Odinga ally, was appointed in April 2025 as Senior Adviser on Constitutional Affairs in the Executive Office of the President. Prof Adams Oloo, Joe Ager, and Dr Silvestor Okumu Kasuku, also Odinga allies, have joined as economic advisers.
Last Friday, Prof Nyong’o led the team in presenting a concept note at State House during a strategy meeting hosted by President Ruto.
Titled “A New Development Vision for Kenya: Towards a Strategy for Moving from a Third World to First World Status,” the document seeks to review Vision 2030, with sources indicating that President Ruto is considering the idea of a “Vision Centenary.”
President Ruto described Prof Nyong’o’s presentation as a “thought-leadership briefing on the contribution of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda to Vision 2030, and its role in accelerating delivery over the next five years as Kenya advances its economic transition.”
Dr Ruto added that the new team, alongside members of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, “will continue to engage and shape a coherent long-term development vision for Kenya.”
Dr Silvester Kasuku (left) Prof Adams Oloo and Mr Joe Ager.
“The discussions provided valuable insights into policy alignment, economic inclusion, and the strategic reforms required to sustain Kenya’s growth and competitiveness beyond 2030, in alignment with our nation’s journey toward First World economic status,” the President said after the meeting.
The strategy session is seen as a follow-up to discussions between President Ruto and Mr Odinga months before the latter’s death on October 15, 2025.
In September 2025, the duo flew in former economic advisor to the Prime Minister Prof Hiroyuki Hino, at Mr Odinga’s request to jumpstart talks with the president’s team on the matter.
During Mr Odinga’s burial in Siaya, Dr Ruto referenced the discussions, a point he also raised during his State of the Nation address on November 20, 2025.
“To shape this vision, I have engaged sincerely with leaders across the political spectrum—Members of Parliament, governors, community leaders, and Kenyans from all walks of life. I discussed this vision with the late Raila Odinga, who reminded me that no nation industrialises without roads, energy, and food security. I have also engaged former President Uhuru Kenyatta, who emphasised the necessity of scaling up infrastructure investments,” the President said.
During his address, President Ruto outlined a grand vision to transform Kenya into a First World nation, noting that the country would need to invest Sh5 trillion to fund and realise the plan.
He said, “We are raising the bar of national ambition. We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard… because that challenge is one we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone.”
According to the President, transforming Kenya to a First World nation is a vision not just to grow, but to transform, and a roadmap not merely to move forward, but to rise.
“To do this, we must cast off the prevailing mindset of being content with the average. We must step beyond the comfort of the familiar and the ordinary and reach, with courage, clarity, and conviction, for nothing less than excellence and greatness,” said the President.
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