ODM COMMITS TO REMAIN IN THE BROAD BASED GOVERNMENT TILL 2027

This decision was made during a Central Management Committee meeting chaired by ODM acting leader Oburu Oginga, on Monday October, 27, 2025,involving senior party officials including governors and key leaders.

This follows after mixed reactions from ODM leaders during Raila’s burial, as they shared different understandings of his last wishes regarding cooperation with President William Ruto.

During the funeral service held on Sunday, October 19, some senior ODM figures voiced support for forming a more inclusive government, while others emphasized the importance of maintaining the party’s core identity and independence.

ODM’s commitment is tied to upholding a 10-point agenda emphasizing peace, stability, and unity, and protecting the legacy and values of the late Raila Odinga, the party’s former leader.

“We reiterate the commitment of the party to the broad-based government until 2027, a relationship guided by the 10-point agenda entered into for the sake of peace and stability in our country,” Sifuna said.

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna emphasized internal party unity and the importance of safeguarding Raila’s legacy of democracy and inclusion.

“Baba built this movement on the foundation of values, democracy, equity, inclusion, and truth. ODM is not just a political party it is a covenant. A covenant that we, the living, must now renew. Let us resist the temptation to scatter in despair or to fight for political inheritance as leaders often do when giants fall,” Sifuna stated.

This alliance is viewed as a strategic move to maintain national stability after the turbulent protests and political unrest Kenya experienced in 2023.

ODM leaders, including Raila Odinga before his death, had underscored that the partnership with the government was a temporary arrangement meant to steady the country and was not a long-term political merger.

Raila himself clarified that ODM’s cooperation with President Ruto’s administration was only until 2027, after which the party would decide the next political steps independently.

Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi a Raila ally, on October 17, 2025 in Bondo, Siaya County, reaffirmed ODM’s resolve to stay in the government, affirming that this is the position left by Raila Odinga.

“Baba Raila Amolo Odinga has left us in government led by President William Ruto, and that is where we are going to stay till the end,” he declared.

President Ruto has expressed respect and partnership with Raila, appreciating their political evolution from rivalry to collaboration for the nation’s sake.

Therefore, ODM’s commitment to the broad-based government is framed as a peace-building and stabilizing measure aimed at ensuring Kenya’s governance remains inclusive and focused on the national agenda until the next general elections in 2027.

“We commit, as we did during the funeral, that we will not be responsible for any breakup in the party or any unnecessary political turbulence that runs counter to Jakome’s dream.”

ODM has announced plans to hold a series of memorial events nationwide in honor of the late Raila Odinga, celebrating his life and his contributions to Kenya’s democracy and social justice.

The memorials will start in Kilifi County on November 2 and 3 and will continue in Homa Bay and Migori on November 5 and 6, respectively.

These events provide Kenyans an opportunity to pay tribute to Raila Odinga’s enduring legacy as a freedom fighter and reformist.

Additionally, ODM’s 20th-anniversary celebrations, themed “ODM at 20,” are scheduled for November 14 to 16 in Mombasa County.

The party, however, has not ruled out contesting the 2027 elections independently when the time comes, indicating that this current alliance is a temporary phase in Kenya’s political landscape