ODM leader Oburu Oginga has defended his party’s decision to work with President William Ruto’s administration, saying the broad-based government provides an opportunity to pursue national stability, economic transformation and a common national agenda.
Speaking at a three-day retreat in Naivasha, Nakuru County, on Monday, Oburu urged ODM leaders to embrace the partnership while using their position in government to influence policies that can transform Kenya.
The retreat, running from August 9-11, brings together governors, deputy governors, Members of Parliament, senators, Cabinet Secretaries and other senior officials associated with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and ODM.
The meeting is intended to assess the performance of the broad-based government, strengthen cooperation between the two political formations and develop a strategy ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The gathering also comes as opposition parties intensify efforts to build a united challenge to President Ruto, putting pressure on the UDA-ODM partnership to consolidate its political support and define its strategy for the next election.
The roots of the broad-based arrangement can be traced to the political tensions that followed the 2024 anti-government protests. President Ruto and then ODM leader Raila Odinga subsequently opened talks on cooperation, culminating in the signing of a Kenya Kwanza-ODM framework agreement at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre on March 7, 2025.
The agreement established a framework for the two sides to work together on Kenya’s social, economic and political challenges. Its stated priorities included national unity, youth employment, inclusive governance, integrity in public service and reducing wastage in government.
President Ruto said at the time that the agreement was not intended as a power-sharing arrangement or a pact for the 2027 election.
At the Naivasha meeting, Oburu said ODM had chosen to cooperate with Ruto after weighing the political circumstances facing the country, arguing that governments should be changed through elections rather than street demonstrations.
“Many people admire us. They want to copy what we are doing, but we deliberately and consciously decided that our country will not go to the dogs when some people wanted to went to the streets to try to change the government through the streets. We said government should not be changed through streets, through demonstrations. Government must be changed through the ballot,” he said.
The ODM Party leader clarified that ODM had previously worked with former President Uhuru Kenyatta but failed to secure the presidency it had hoped for.
He maintained that the party had now moved on and should recognise that it is part of the current administration rather than operate as an outsider.
“Now, ODM has a very, very senior position in this government. We have the CS for finance, and that is where food is cooked. That is the center of the government. That is the one keeping the wealth of the government,” he said.
The ODM leader also called for openness among members, urging those opposed to the partnership to state their position rather than remain undecided.
The retreat is also expected to provide a platform for the coalition to examine its political direction, legislative priorities and preparations for the next election.
Recent reporting indicates that Ruto and Oburu are using the meeting to assess the broad-based arrangement and strengthen coordination ahead of 2027.
Oburu further explained that the partnership should ultimately be judged by the policies it delivers.
“We want to make policies which will push this country to the first world, and we are not shy about it. We want to make policies which will take us to Singapore, and we are not shy about it,” he said.
The Naivasha discussions therefore place both governance and the emerging 2027 political contest at the centre of the UDA-ODM partnership.