NAIVASHA, Kenya Aug 10 – President William Ruto and ODM Party Leader Oburu Oginga have strongly defended the broad-based government arrangement, highlighting the political cooperation between UDA and ODM as the country enters the final year before the 2027 General Election.
Speaking during a broad-based parliamentary group retreat in Naivasha attended by hundreds of lawmakers, Ruto and Oburu sought to underscore the basis of the partnership while calling for greater political cohesion among members of the two parties.
Oburu contrasted the current arrangement with the 2018 political handshake between former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, arguing that ODM has secured greater representation in government under the current partnership.
“Before this Broadbased arrangement which was enabled by our beloved fallen Party Leader the Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga, we had a handshake government with Pr. Uhuru Kenyatta,” Oburu said.
He claimed that during the handshake administration, ODM did not receive Cabinet Secretary or Principal Secretary positions, saying the party was instead promised support for the presidency.
“Uhuru never gave us even a single CS position or even a PS position, the only thing he promised us was the Presidency, which we never got,” Oburu said.
According to Oburu, the current broad-based arrangement has resulted in ODM securing several CS and PS positions in government.
Ruto said his decision to work with ODM followed discussions with the late Raila Odinga after the 2022 General Election.
“Immediately after the last general election, I engaged the Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga on the need of working together, burying our political differences and put Kenya first,” Ruto said.
The President said the partnership was possible because of similarities between the political programmes of UDA and ODM.
“The manifestos of our two parties are similar. There are areas of convergence which are for the interest of the Republic of Kenya,” he said.
Ruto’s remarks offered a justification for the continued cooperation between the ruling party and ODM, which have historically been political rivals.
The partnership has significantly altered the political landscape, bringing members of the former opposition into government and creating a working relationship between the Executive and ODM lawmakers.
Oburu, meanwhile, urged leaders involved in the arrangement to openly express any disagreements rather than remaining undecided on the political partnership.
“We must strive to work together. If you have any burning issue, say it publicly. Where we have reached, we do not need fence sitters,” he said.
The ODM leader said the time had come for political leaders to clearly establish where they stood on the partnership.
His remarks come as political realignments intensify ahead of the 2027 General Election, with parties and political leaders increasingly assessing alliances that could shape the presidential contest.
Ruto also defended his administration’s performance, saying political popularity should not be the only measure of a government’s success.
“It is not necessary to be popular all the time. The Bible says there is a time for everything… as we speak, today we have a track record that is second to none,” the President said.
The President’s comments come amid heightened political debate over the performance of his administration and the impact of the broad-based government arrangement.
The government has continued to promote the partnership as a platform for national unity and implementation of its development agenda.
Ruto also expressed pride in ODM, despite the party having been his political opponent for much of his career.
“Today as I stand here, I want to say that I am very proud of the ODM party. Deep from my heart, I am very proud of my former party,” he said.
The remarks underline the extent of the political shift since the 2022 election, when Ruto and Odinga were on opposing sides of the presidential contest.
Oburu also reaffirmed ODM’s continued political relevance, describing it as the country’s oldest serving political party and saying the party had made a deliberate decision that led to its current position.
“As a party, we remain focused. We are the oldest serving political party in the country and we have made a resolve to be where we are today,” Oburu said.
The UDA-ODM partnership is entering a critical phase as the country moves closer to the 2027 elections.
The Naivasha retreat provides a platform for lawmakers allied to the broad-based arrangement to assess their cooperation, government priorities and legislative agenda while also confronting the political questions likely to dominate the coming election cycle.
