Raila declares that ODM will review deal with UDA
ODM leader Raila Odinga has signalled the need for a review of the party’s cooperation agreement with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), amid growing disquiet from within the ODM ranks.
His comments come amid escalating internal criticism of the pact. ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna has, in recent weeks, publicly questioned the wisdom of associating with Ruto’s administration.
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Some party leaders have accused the ODM top brass of surrendering to government influence without consultation.
Addressing the delegates’ conference on Friday, July 25, 2025, Raila defended the broad-based government MoU signed on March 7, 2025, but acknowledged that discontent among party members and supporters necessitated a critical review to understand what has been implemented so far.
“We gave Kenya Kwanza our experts. Though some in our party did not agree. The MOU was written by us, led by Edwin Sifuna. They later read it to me and confirmed it is okay. It addressed emergency issues to enable the government to move forward,” he said.
“But whatever we wrote is what has brought issues. We will conduct a review to know what has been implemented and what has not been implemented. As we agreed, the victims of the protest are to be compensated, and an end to police brutality. Everything that we agreed must be implemented.”
The 2027 plan
He clarified that the agreement between ODM and UDA was not a political merger or coalition, but a framework meant to advance issue-based cooperation, especially in areas of governance and service delivery.
“We did not sign a coalition agreement with UDA. What we have is a structured understanding focused on issues affecting Kenyans, not positions, not politics,” he said.
Raila stressed that the pact remains valid through 2027, but made it clear that its future would be subject to internal party deliberations.
“We have said that we are in the broad-based government until 2027. We did not say that we are going to work with UDA beyond 2027. Those are issues that we will discuss at the appropriate time, and the decision will be made by party members, not Raila Odinga alone,” he explained.
The ODM leader said the agreement was informed by consultations with supporters in regions like Kisumu, Mombasa, and Nairobi, which he described as a random sampling of grassroots opinion. But he acknowledged that recent backlash from both leaders and supporters in Western Kenya cannot be ignored.
During the rally, calls from the crowd urging Raila to abandon the MoU were audible. In response, he assured the audience that any decision to revise or terminate the agreement would not be unilateral.
“I have heard your voices. I respect your opinions. But let us reason together.”
Despite the tensions, Raila urged calm and unity, warning against factionalism within ODM.
“We cannot just sit around and see the country sink. We must work together to see if we can change it. The future of this agreement. Lies in the hands of the people,” he asserted.
