{"id":123397,"date":"2025-10-19T14:10:38","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T14:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/10\/19\/ruto-rallies-for-stronger-odm-but-not-outside-government\/"},"modified":"2025-10-19T14:10:38","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T14:10:38","slug":"ruto-rallies-for-stronger-odm-but-not-outside-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/ruto-rallies-for-stronger-odm-but-not-outside-government\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruto rallies for stronger ODM but not outside government"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 19 \u2014 President William Ruto has vowed to protect the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) from leaders seeking to destroy it from within, promising to honor the late Raila Odinga\u2019s legacy by preserving the strength and integrity of his political party.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking during Odinga\u2019s national funeral service at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology in Bondo on Sunday, Ruto said his administration was committed to ensuring that ODM \u2014 now part of his broad-based government \u2014 remains a strong, vibrant, and respected political institution.<\/p>\n

Ruto pledged that under his leadership, ODM would not be weakened or infiltrated by what he described as political opportunists.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing I cannot accept, in honor of this hero of ours \u2014 and I will do everything possible, may God help me \u2014 is to block those who want to uproot the ODM party and play the opposition card out there. That will not be possible,\u201d Ruto declared.<\/p>\n

The Head of State assured ODM members that his government would respect the party\u2019s independence and support its unity, warning those attempting to fracture it for political gain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I am the leader of UDA, but I want to assure ODM members \u2014 according to Baba\u2019s wishes \u2014 that we will respect and support ODM to hold it together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cODM must be strong as we go to 2027 because that is how we will have a strong government. Political parties are the foundation of democracy, and the strength of ODM matters a great deal to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

ODM government <\/h2>\n

The President praised the ongoing cooperation between ODM and the ruling coalition, saying he was proud that \u201cODM is today part and parcel of the Government of the Republic of Kenya.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cODM will either form the next government or be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruto revealed that when he reached out to Odinga about including ODM in government, the veteran opposition leader did not make any demands. <\/p>\n

Instead, Ruto said, he proposed that the Ministry of Finance be given to a leader from Nyanza in recognition of the region\u2019s contribution to national development.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told Baba, \u2018I want us to give the first Minister of Finance from Nyanza that opportunity.\u2019 Baba gave me two names \u2014 Opiyo Wandayi and John Mbadi. Today, I am proud that Baba and I made the decision to have John Mbadi as Kenya\u2019s Minister of Finance,\u201d he said, drawing applause from mourners.<\/p>\n

Ruto also highlighted his administration\u2019s economic achievements, crediting the inclusive approach for stabilizing the country\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday inflation has dropped from 9.6% to 4%, the exchange rate has improved from 165 to 129, and interest rates have declined. Kenya is now the sixth-largest economy in Africa,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Jostling <\/h2>\n

The President\u2019s remarks came amid growing tensions within ODM following Odinga\u2019s death, as rival factions vie for control of the party and its future direction.<\/p>\n

Earlier, ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna vowed to defend the party against internal divisions and remain faithful to Odinga\u2019s ideals.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince Baba fell ill, I\u2019ve been asking myself what I will do to make him proud. This is not the time to push divisive narratives in ODM,\u201d Sifuna said. \u201cI will not be among those who contribute to the failure of the party of Raila Odinga.\u201d<\/p>\n

Siaya Governor James Orengo echoed the call, urging the government to safeguard the independence of political parties.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven as we speak about unity, let us not kill political parties,\u201d Orengo said. \u201cThey are the foundation of our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga revealed that her late brother\u2019s final wish was for ODM to remain united.<\/p>\n

\u201cRaila told me the day before he died that ODM must be united and strong,\u201d she said. \u201cWe cannot have another ODM being led by a few people and another faction on the other side claiming ownership of the party.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raila Odinga, 80, died of cardiac arrest while undergoing treatment in Kochi, India. He will be laid to rest beside his father, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, at Kang\u2019o Ka Jaramogi in Bondo.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 19 \u2014 President William Ruto has vowed to protect the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) from leaders seeking to destroy it from within, promising to honor the late Raila Odinga\u2019s legacy by preserving the strength and integrity of his political party. Speaking during Odinga\u2019s national funeral service at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123397\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}