NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 11 — ODM party will prioritise coalition talks with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ahead of the 2027 General Election before considering other alternatives.
Party Leader Oburu Odinga Wednesday said a solo presidential bid remains the last option as political realignments gather pace.
Speaking during an ODM National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Mombasa, Oburu said the party was not in a rush to declare support for any formation, emphasising that strengthening ODM internally and negotiating from a position of stability was the immediate priority.
“As a party, we are not in a hurry to say one term or two term. We are strengthening our party to prepare ourselves for negotiations,” he said.
Oburu noted that the late Raila Odinga left ODM within a broad-based government framework and that the party remains committed to implementing the 10-point agenda agreed upon with its governing partners.
“In this broad-based government, we have our partners. We are continuing to work hard to fulfil the commitments and arrangements which brought us together,” he said.
His remarks come amid wrangles within the party as the ruling party moves to formalise its partnership with the Orange Party.
Structured negotiations
On January 14, UDA’s National Executive Committee, chaired by President Ruto, welcomed ODM’s decision to initiate structured negotiations within the Kenya Kwanza Coalition and mandated the Head of State — in his capacity as party leader — to establish mechanisms for engagement aimed at negotiating a coalition agreement ahead of 2027.
“The NEC mandated the UDA Party Leader to establish mechanisms for structured engagement with the ODM party to achieve the desired outcome,” the party said in a communiqué.
UDA credited the cooperation with key political milestones, including adoption of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report, the formation of a broad-based administration incorporating ODM members, and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on a 10-point reform agenda.
10-point agenda
The partnership also yielded mutual support during the November 27, 2025 by-elections, where UDA and ODM candidates jointly won all contested Senate and National Assembly seats.
Further signalling intent to cement the alliance, President Ruto on January 26 urged the UDA National Governing Council to formalise a political coalition with ODM, describing it as critical to securing a decisive mandate in 2027.
While acknowledging that he won the 2022 election by about 200,000 votes, Ruto said the next contest must deliver a landslide victory.
“We must win the next election by a margin of 2 to 3 million to consolidate the country and drive our transformation agenda,” he said, framing the proposed coalition as a stabilising force capable of transcending ethnic and regional divisions.
Ruto argued that party-based politics anchored on manifestos and ideology — rather than personalities or tribal alignments — would strengthen Kenya’s democracy.
He said UDA was building a national platform where leadership is determined by ideas and competence.
For ODM, Oburu outlined a sequential strategy: first engage current partners; if talks fail, explore discussions with other formations; and only as a last resort, contest the presidency independently.
“If we don’t agree, we move on to discuss with other formations. Or if there is no agreement with any, we go it alone as ODM,” he said.