NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 14 \u2013 The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is once again pursuing power through coalition politics, this time seeking an early alliance with President William Ruto\u2019s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ahead of the 2027 General Election. <\/p>\n
Observers say the move signals that ODM, instead of preparing to contest the polls alone, wants an early piece of the governing cake even if it means compromising its long-held identity as an opposition party.<\/p>\n
ODM\u2019s Central Committee on Monday in Kilifi County approved structured negotiations with UDA. <\/p>\n
The party also mandated Siaya Senator and party leader Oburu Oginga to lead the talks, which will be complemented by consultations with members ahead of a National Delegates Convention.<\/p>\n
UDA welcomed the initiative, announcing that its National Executive Council (NEC) will meet on Wednesday to formally consider a resolution to enter a coalition with ODM. <\/p>\n
The meeting will review terms of engagement, policy coordination, and strategic alignment, signaling a potential early reshaping of Kenya\u2019s political landscape.<\/p>\n
\u201cEither we are going into a partnership with UDA or any other partners, or we are going alone as ODM. We are not going to wait for 2027 to decide,\u201d Oginga said.<\/p>\n
He admitted that ODM\u2019s entry into the Ruto government in 2024 \u201cwas by accident\u201d after protests led by Gen Zs shook the Kenya Kwanza administration. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe entered through the back door, through the window,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Oburu said ODM will give Ruto first priority in the negotiations and only consider other political partners if talks with UDA stall. <\/p>\n
He also revealed that if ODM chooses to go solo, the party leader automatically becomes the presidential candidate, according to party rules.<\/p>\n
President Ruto has publicly signaled readiness to work with ODM.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn our side, as UDA and Kenya Kwanza, we are ready. Let\u2019s strategise and join hands in forming the government that will make Kenya a first-world country,\u201d Ruto said in December 2025.<\/p>\n
ODM\u2019s current approach mirrors its past strategies. <\/p>\n
In 2008, the party entered a power-sharing government after the disputed elections, with Raila Odinga serving as Prime Minister. <\/p>\n
In 2018, ODM joined the handshake government with Uhuru Kenyatta. <\/p>\n
In 2024, senior ODM leaders joined Ruto\u2019s broad-based government, marking another coalition-driven entry into power.<\/p>\n
The trend has positioned ODM as a party that relies on coalitions to maintain influence, rather than fighting elections independently.<\/p>\n
Not all ODM leaders back the coalition. <\/p>\n
Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, along with MPs Babu Owino, James Orengo, and Caleb Amisi, has opposed supporting Ruto, calling for all major decisions to be passed through a National Delegates Convention (NDC). <\/p>\n
Sifuna and other senior figures skipped the Kilifi meeting, pointing to deepening internal divisions.<\/p>\n
Oburu\u2019s camp, alongside Cabinet Secretaries and governors including Gladys Wanga, continues to push for early coalition talks with UDA, aiming to secure influence ahead of 202<\/p>\n
Observers warn that ODM\u2019s pursuit of coalition politics risks diluting its identity as a national opposition party. <\/p>\n
Governor Orengo once said joining UDA could reduce ODM to a regional or Luo-centric party, stripping it of the broad national appeal Raila Odinga spent decades building.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 14 \u2013 The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is once again pursuing power through coalition politics, this time seeking an early alliance with President William Ruto\u2019s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ahead of the 2027 General Election. Observers say the move signals that ODM, instead of preparing to contest the polls alone, wants an […]<\/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-128576","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\/128576","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=128576"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128576\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}