ODM party leader Raila Odinga (second left), secretary general Edwin Sifuna (second right) and other top officials after attending the party's Central Committee meeting in Karen, Nairobi on July 29, 2025.
A meeting by the top organ of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has resolved to form a technical team to review the agreement between party leader Raila Odinga and President William Ruto.
The meeting, chaired by Mr Odinga, announced plans to work with a team from President Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in speeding up the implementation of the 10-point agenda signed in March.
The ODM Central Management Committee also agreed to back Mr Odinga in his decision to work with President Ruto under the broad-based government arrangement.
President William Ruto (right) with ODM leader Raila Odinga during the third National Executive Retreat at the KCB Leadership Centre in Kajiado County.
The announcement sought to end confusion over the party’s stance in working with President Ruto, following a declaration by Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna that the deal was dead over continued violation of human rights – including abductions and police killings – by the Kenya Kwanza administration.
The closed-door meeting that ran for hours, the Daily Nation later learnt, was charged, with some officials criticising Mr Sifuna.
While some ODM officials have been rooting for Dr Ruto’s re-election in 2027, Mr Sifuna is on record saying the President does not deserve a second term.
Mr Sifuna, however, got the backing of the other officials, with the meeting calling out the government over gross violation of human rights.
The meeting also raised concerns over the display of opulence by top government officials “in the face of national scarcity”.
Mr Sifuna’s attacks on President Ruto’s regime and his repeated dismissal of the ODM-UDA agreement as “the worst decision ever” appears to have rattled many party stalwarts.
In the March agreement, President
President William Ruto (left) with ODM leader Raila Odingaa (right) and Principal Secretary for Interior Raymond Omollo during the Blue Economy Summit in Homa Bay County.
resolved to protect and strengthen devolution, protect the right to peaceful assembly and demonstrations, compensate pending claims and protect the rule of law and constitutionalism.
“People took firm positions without being adversarial. There was a feeling that the secretary-general was causing confusion. Some members said if every official were to give personal opinion over party matters, there would be chaos in ODM,” said an official who attended the meeting.
“Members, however, raised concerns with the continued violation of human rights and the arrests and abductions of people perceived critical of the regime. There was also a feeling that as much as most of the agenda were yet to be fully implemented, there is some progress. They also felt that party members picked to serve in the Cabinet need support to deliver,” said another official.
The meeting tasked National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohammed and ODM chairperson Gladys Wanga to spearhead the formation of the technical team that will be made up of non-politicians. The two have also been mandated to engage Kenya Kwanza on the issues raised.
“While members arrived here with different viewpoints on many issues in the party and the country, the committee brokered an unbreakable unity of purpose and a single-minded focus on ensuring ODM continues to be a loyal servant of the people and the country,” the party said in a statement read by Mr Sifuna.
“In order to expedite the implementation of the 10-point agenda, ODM will constitute a technical team to work with UDA. The committee identified the absence of such a technical committee, which is contained in the MoU, as the missing link in the implementation of the document.”
