UDA and ODM are preparing a joint manifesto and negotiating an electoral alliance for the August 10, 2027 General Election, but disputes over political power and stalled electoral reforms threaten to complicate the partnership President William Ruto and Raila Odinga began building before the former Prime Minister’s death.
The parties have appointed a 10-member team to develop a policy document, assess the government’s record against previous promises and identify priorities for the next term. The exercise is intended to turn the broad-based government arrangement into a possible campaign platform.
The partnership faces two tests: whether the government implements commitments under the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) process, and whether ODM secures a greater share of power in any joint campaign. Delays in laws intended to strengthen electoral credibility add pressure, with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) warning that reforms enacted too close to polling day would compromise planning and procurement.
The manifesto team comprises five nominees from each party, with UDA Executive Director Nicodemus Bore and ODM Executive Director Oduor Ong’wen serving as ex-officio members. ODM’s nominees are Isaac Wanuge, Maryam Abdullahi Mbaruk, Prof Leonida Kerubo Omosa, Carey Orege and Prof Bernard Muok. UDA has nominated Dr Emmanuel Nzai, Dr Daniel Mwai, Bramwel Simiyu, Mohammed Hassan and Dr Cecilia Ng’etich.
Mr Bore told the Nation the team was ready to assess what had been delivered since the 2022 election.
President William Ruto, ODM Party Leader Oburu Oginga and members of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Central Management Committee and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Steering Committee during a joint consultative meeting at State House, Nairobi, on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
Photo credit: PCS
“We want to make sure that what we promised in 2022 are fully accomplished,” he said, adding that the exercise should capture regional aspirations and identify areas where delivery had fallen short.
A shared manifesto may be easier to negotiate than the political agreement needed to campaign together. The parties must still settle their coalition framework, leadership, decision-making structures, nominations and distribution of positions.
Raila died in India on October 15, 2025, before the cooperation he negotiated with Dr Ruto became a formal electoral alliance. His death left ODM leader Dr Oburu Oginga and the President to determine the arrangement’s future.
The rapprochement culminated in a cooperation agreement signed by Dr Ruto and Raila at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre on March 7, 2025. Raila said it was not a coalition deal but a framework for addressing national challenges, easing political tensions and advancing governance reforms.
After Raila’s death, ODM’s Central Management Committee reaffirmed its commitment to the arrangement through the 2027 election.
Dr Oginga has urged the government to demonstrate goodwill by implementing the commitments before Kenyans return to the ballot. UDA Secretary-General Hassan Omar has said doing so would honour Raila’s contribution.
For ODM, implementation is a test of whether cooperation with a former rival has produced meaningful gains or simply given its leaders access to government. For Dr Ruto, it will determine whether a joint manifesto can credibly present his administration’s record while promising a new programme for another term.
Parliament has yet to complete several electoral reforms despite a pledge by Speaker Moses Wetang’ula in October 2025 to fast-track Bills arising from NADCO. He said the House would not allow delays that could undermine the 2027 election.
“As a House, we have resolved that within the next two or three months, we will be done with the Bills. We cannot be reviewing laws six or seven months to a General Election,” he said.
The IEBC, citing recommendations from the Kriegler commission that reviewed the disputed 2007 election, has argued that legal reforms should be completed at least two years before a general election. An amendment to the IEBC Act providing for a selection panel to recruit commissioners when vacancies arise is among the reforms passed. Other proposals remain pending.
The Political Parties (Amendment) Bill, 2024, proposes repealing Section 14A of the Political Parties Act, which defines when a person is deemed to have resigned from a party. If enacted, it could make it easier for elected leaders to switch allegiance without automatically losing their seats, a prospect supporters see as enabling realignments and critics fear could weaken party discipline.
The political negotiations have exposed a more immediate dispute: how power would be shared if the parties support a joint presidential ticket. In June, Dr Oginga said talks should be based on a 50-50 formula covering the presidency and other elective positions. In July, he said ODM would not field its own presidential candidate in 2027 and would support Dr Ruto’s re-election.
President William Ruto and ODM party leader Oburu Odinga during a Sunday service at Nkarusha Seventh Day Adventist Church, Kajiado County on June 14, 2026.
Photo credit: PCS
ODM leaders have since insisted the party should provide the President’s running mate, a position currently held by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki. The demand has unsettled some of Dr Ruto’s allies, who support Prof Kindiki’s retention. ODM argues its support for the broad-based government must translate into a stake in the next administration.
In an interview with the Sunday Nation on August 21, Dr Ruto acknowledged that Raila’s death had removed a formidable political force.
“Raila was a very formidable leader,” he said. “His presence in this team would be influential. It would not be honest for anybody to say that his presence would not have influenced the situation.”
The manifesto experts must reconcile UDA’s development agenda with ODM’s emphasis on equity, devolution and governance reforms. An ODM official told the Nation the alliance would be judged by progress on NADCO and its ability to resolve disputes over power.
Former ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, however, argues the cooperation was intended only to preserve democratic stability and give Kenyans an opportunity to remove Dr Ruto through the ballot.
Mr Sifuna cites remarks Raila made at a public event less than three weeks before his death, when the former Prime Minister questioned why anyone had assumed ODM would not field a presidential candidate in 2027. The comments underline the dispute over whether the agreement committed ODM to support the President.
The partnership has survived Raila’s death, but its future will depend on whether the parties deliver promised reforms, resolve the running-mate question and agree on rules for working together before the campaign begins.
