Kenya’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has hit the brakes on coalition negotiations with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), in a dramatic escalation of tensions within the broad-based government.
The decision came out of a nearly seven-hour Central Management Committee meeting chaired by party leader Oburu Oginga. Sources described the session as tense and highly charged, with senior officials openly voicing frustration over what they characterized as a deliberate and coordinated effort to weaken the party from within.
Rather than pushing forward with coalition talks ahead of the 2027 general elections, ODM resolved to turn its focus inward — strengthening and popularizing the party before entering any new political arrangements.
As a further show of displeasure, the party also directed its members to halt all campaigning in support of President Ruto’s re-election bid until their grievances are formally addressed.
To help find a way forward, Dr. Oginga, co-deputy party leader Simba Arati, and National Chairman Gladys Wanga were tasked with convening an urgent meeting with President Ruto to resolve the outstanding issues.
A top official who attended the meeting made the party’s position unmistakably clear: ODM would not engage with those it felt showed no respect for the party or its leadership.
The fallout signals a significant crack in the broad-based government arrangement, raising questions about the stability of the Ruto-Raila political alliance as the country edges closer to the 2027 election cycle.
