ODM leader Raila Odinga has revealed that former President Uhuru Kenyatta played a key behind-the-scenes role in forming the broad-based government, which has brought together leaders from across the political divide.
Speaking during an interview with NTV on Sunday, July 20, Odinga disclosed that the idea to open talks with President William Ruto came after a personal phone call from Uhuru, who was abroad in the United States at the time.
Uhuru, concerned about the rising political tensions sparked by last year’s anti-Finance Bill protests, reportedly urged Raila to consider dialogue for the sake of the country’s stability.
“In the heat of the protests and political chaos, I got a call from my colleague, former President Uhuru Kenyatta. Though he knew I wasn’t keen on speaking with Ruto, he reminded me that in the interest of national peace, we needed to find a way to have that conversation,” Raila shared.
“Interestingly, I didn’t even have to reach out to Ruto myself. He was the one who asked to meet, and we agreed to have a sit-down.”
Although there was significant resistance within the Azimio coalition, especially from leaders who didn’t want any association with the Kenya Kwanza government, Odinga said his ODM party decided to contribute to national healing and progress by recommending seasoned professionals to serve in government.
Among those named as Cabinet Secretaries from ODM were Hassan Joho, Wycliffe Oparanya, Opiyo Wandayi, John Mbadi, and Beatrice Askul—individuals Raila described as “experts” capable of offering fresh solutions to Kenya’s deep-rooted economic and social issues.
“We had extensive consultations within Azimio about whether we should get involved in the broad-based government. I personally opposed the idea at first, and many of my colleagues did too.
But eventually, voices from within ODM argued that to break the stalemate, we needed to send capable people into government—even if they were not part of the ruling coalition—so they could help stabilize the country and push for meaningful reforms,” Odinga explained.
In March this year, the former Prime Minister and President Ruto formalized their cooperation through a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The agreement marked the start of a structured political partnership between ODM and Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
Looking Toward 2027
Odinga noted that the key goals of the collaboration include the full rollout of the NADCO report recommendations, tackling youth unemployment, enforcing the two-thirds gender rule, and promoting governance reforms.
He emphasized that the joint platform will be used to review critical constitutional matters—especially on leadership, corruption, free expression, protest rights, and the rule of law.
Despite backing Ruto’s administration until the next elections, Odinga made it clear that this political cooperation is not permanent. He stressed that ODM’s involvement in the broad-based government is only a transitional measure to help the country through its current economic and political uncertainties.
“We agreed to work with the government up to 2027, but that does not mean we are pledging support for UDA beyond that. When that time comes, the decision on what path to take will be made collectively by our party—not by me alone,” Raila clarified.
The ODM leader’s statement signals a careful balancing act: supporting the current regime for national unity, while keeping political options open as the country inches closer to the 2027 general election.
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