Live update: Senators discuss governors snubbing summons
Background: President William Ruto and ODM party leader Oburu Oginga. Foreground (from left): ODM secretary-general Edwin Sifuna, Siaya Governor James Orengo, EALA member Winnie Odinga, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka.
Some lawmakers associated with Linda Mwananchi camp have indicated they will boycott a joint Parliamentary Group meeting convened on Tuesday by President William Ruto and ODM party leader Oburu Oginga.
In a continuation of their defiance against the broad-based government, the MPs described the meeting as a choreographed public relations stunt designed to rally them to endorse a report on the implementation of the 10-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in March 2025 by President Ruto and then ODM leader Raila Odinga. Raila died last October.
The ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) entered the deal on March 7, 2025, with an agreement to implement the agenda items within a year, a period that has since elapsed.
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.
The lawmakers cited alleged non-implementation of the agenda items, listing continued stifling of opposition politics through disruption by the police, delayed compensation of victims of protests, arbitrary arrests of critics and high cost of living as some of the basis of the boycott.
Some of the MPs who told Nation that they would skip the meeting include ODM co-deputy party leader and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, MPs Caleb Amisi (Saboti), Antony Kibagendi (Kitutu Chache South) and Wilberforce Oundo of Funyala.
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka said he was still consulting his colleagues within Linda Mwananchi for a common position. He, however, described the meeting as a choreographed gathering intended to achieve certain political goals.
Linda Mwananchi is made up of politicians opposed to the broad-based government as well as President Ruto’s re-election bid. ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, Siaya Governor James Orengo, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Suba South MP Caroli Omondi are some of its leaders. Others are Kitutu Masaba MP Clive Gisairo and his Kabuchai counterpart Majimbo Kalasinga of Ford Kenya.
10-point agenda
Mr Sifuna, Mr Owino, Mr Omondi, Mr Gisairo and Mr Kalasinga did not respond to our queries on whether they would attend the PG or not.
President Ruto and Mr Odinga agreed on the full implementation of Nadco (National Dialogue Committee) report, inclusivity in budgetary allocations and public appointments, and economic investment in the youth.
They agreed to protect and strengthen devolution, fight corruption, stop wastage of public resources, and the audit of national debt.
As part of the MoU, they agreed to protect sovereignty of the people, stop abductions, respect constitutionalism and rule of law and respect press freedom.
Others included right to peaceful assembly, compensation of all pending claims of rights victims and an end to leadership, integrity and end of opulence.
Mr Ososti told Nation that he would not attend the meeting because he does not agree with its agenda. He accused pro-broad-based team of betraying Mr Odinga by failing to implement the 10-point agenda within a year as agreed in the MoU.
“Why should I attend the meeting? I don’t agree with what they are doing. President Ruto and his pro-broad-based group in ODM are jointly responsible for non-implementation of the 10-point agenda and have been engaged in conspiracy to kill the spirit of the MOU as envisaged by Raila,” said Mr Osotsi.
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi.
“The pro-Ruto group is not interested in the implementation of MoU but personal interests while paying lip service. The broad-based government is based on the 10-point agenda and hence its non implementation means it should naturally collapse.”
Mr Amisi said he cannot associate with UDA, which he accused of bad governance and stifling of the opposition politics. He said President Ruto’s administration has continued to violate freedoms that, he said, Mr Odinga fought for. He said critics of Kenya Kwanza administration are still being arrested arbitrarily while opposition politicians are being teargassed for attending rallies.
“I cannot attend that PG. You will never see me in any meeting that has UDA. I have said it before that UDA is bad for this country.”
“They have done nothing that they promised Raila. Establishment of IEBC is the only thing they have implemented. IEBC is not an achievement. Cost of living is still high, no compensation for youths killed during protests, some of the youths who were arrested during the protests are still in prison, there is no freedom of expression and association,” said Mr Amisi.
Mr Kibagendi talked of how some of them have been unfairly targeted by the broad-based team, including kicking them out of parliamentary committees for being critical of the arrangement. In his estimation, Mr Kibagendi said only 30 per cent of the agenda items have been implemented.
“I will not attend the meeting because I have been unfairly treated by this broad-based government. The leadership we have in both Parliament and in ODM does not represent the interest of the people.”
“The feeling on the ground is that the 10-point agenda has not been implemented. Our officials have let us down as a party,” said Mr Kibagendi.
Similar assessment was also offered by Mr Oundo. The MP said based on his interactions with the people on the ground, little has been implemented.
“I will not attend it because such a joint PG does not exist in our party constitution. The last time I checked with the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP), there is no political party known as broad-based government.”
“We will wait to see the report that they will give to the public before we can give our views, but from my interactions with the people on the ground, nothing has been done,” said Mr Oundo.
Majority Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and his Minority counterpart Junet Mohammed on Friday sent out invites to both Kenya Kwanza and ODM MPs to attend the meeting that will also mark the first anniversary of the March 7, 2025 MoU.
National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwah.
“All members of Kenya Kwanza Coalition and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) are hereby invited to attend a joint Parliamentary Group meeting on Tuesday March 10, 2026 at KICC,” invite by Mr Ichung’wah states.
In the invite, Mr Ichung’wah listed review of the 10-point agenda report as resolved during the recent Parliamentary Group meeting held in Parliament.
The PG will also consider policy implications of the resolutions contained in the report. The meeting will also discuss ‘other emerging national matters and parliamentary priorities within the framework of the broad-based engagement’.
Mr Mohammed told Nation that President Ruto and Dr Oginga will use the meeting to provide UDA-ODM pre-election coalition formation roadmap.
“There is a major announcement that will be made in moving talks between UDA and ODM forward. A proper roadmap will be laid out, defining every step we are going to make going forward into 2027 elections,” said the Suna East MP.
Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi also hinted at the planned roadmap, by telling critics of the arrangement that they will be ‘increasingly isolated’ as the pre-election coalition begins to take shape. He said the political journey by UDA and ODM to the 2027 contest is unstoppable.
“The PG is a step in the right direction, and it will shame those who have been fighting the arrangement tirelessly. They will increasingly find themselves isolated going into 2027. The journey to the next election is now beginning in earnest,” Mr Wandayi said.
Top organs of both UDA and ODM had already mandated President Ruto and Dr Oginga to begin formal coalition talks. ODM has since indicated its readiness to back Dr Ruto’s second term in office. The Orange party has however laid claim on the Deputy President slot, currently occupied by Prof Kithure Kindiki.
President William Ruto and Dr Oginga on Sunday while speaking in Siaya gave the deal a clean bill of health ahead of today’s PG.
“On Tuesday, we welcome them, the naysayers and the noise makers, and those in between, to come and listen to us. We know where we want to take this country.”
“We have executed the 10-point agenda, and we have a report to the members of our political parties and to the people of Kenya of what has been done; what has been achieved in devolution, what has been achieved in inclusion, what has been achieved in the fight against corruption, what has been achieved in making government effective, what has been achieved in making sure that we deal with the challenges that came with demonstrations and all the other issues,” said President Ruto.
Similar assessment was given by Dr Oginga, who talked of major progress in implementing the agenda items.
“I want to tell you, my people, that the 7th was chosen deliberately because it was the anniversary of the broad-based government. It was not that the world is coming to an end on the 7th. It was not that the ODM and the UDA were divorcing on the 7th. On the 7th, it was just to give an interim report of the 10-point agenda,” he explained.
“We have gone through that report with the President. We have seen the progress. There is a lot of progress which has been made. And yet there are some people who are saying that there is zero performance. They don't take their time to go through the details of what is in the 10-point agenda and see what has been implemented and what has not been implemented.”
In his estimation, Mr Mohammed said that over 80 percent of the agenda items have been implemented. He said some provisions in the Nadco report would require a referendum, therefore are beyond their mandate as MPs.
He cited creation of the Office of Leader of Opposition, Prime Minister’s Office and the two-third gender as some of the provisions that can only be implemented following a vote by Kenyans.
“I think over 80 per cent has been done, and we will demonstrate that during the PG. One of the conditions of the document was fulfilment of the Nadco report. Reconstitution of the IEBC has been done with the other eight items at different stages,” he said.
Despite legal challenges, he said, the issue of compensation for victims of police brutality has since been looked into and money made available to start compensating those who lost their loved ones or were injured during the protests.
“The issue of compensation has fully been looked into by factoring in all aspects, including how to do it. The money is contained in the supplementary budget,” he said.
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