Raila Odinga has reflected on the partnership between the ODM and President William Ruto's UDA party, describing it as a critical move that saved the country from a possible collapse.
Speaking during the ODM Parliamentary Group meeting on Monday, September 22, he explained that the cooperation was born out of necessity after the nation faced political unrest.
According to Raila, the joint efforts between the two parties have since yielded stability and ensured that differing opinions do not spiral into chaos.
"About a year ago, we got together with the UDA party to help steady the ship of the Kenyan nation that had been hit by extreme turbulence and faced the reality of collapse. After many days of demonstrations, the military was on the streets; they were civil with the citizens because they had not been given instructions.
"We said it is better to have a country that is civil, where leadership can be replaced through the ballot rather than through the bullet," he said.
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Raila explained that what began as informal cooperation later evolved into a formal arrangement sealed through an MoU, which he said laid the groundwork for stabilizing the country.
"The coming together started informally, with some of our members joining the government; we later formalized the arrangement through an MoU signed publicly with UDA and shared widely with the public.
"This far, the core agenda of coming together has been achieved: we have a stable country, we beat back the chaos, and created an environment in which we can agree to disagree without staring at collapse," he added.
Raila pointed to the 2025/26 budget as one of the early results of the ODM–UDA collaboration, saying the input of the party ensured it is widely accepted.
"Today, we are seeing the early fruits of cooperation between political parties. By blending what ODM has always believed in with what UDA believes in, we came up with a widely accepted 2025/26 budget — thanks to ODM experts," he further said.
Raila further said through the partnership the parties have begun implementing joint programs, including the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report.
"We have also developed programs to implement agreements such as the NADCO report and the MoU that laid the groundwork for the realization of broader national ambitions. The ability to make compromises without compromising our core values and goals is now yielding results," he added.
In August, President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga established a five-member committee to oversee the implementation of the NADCO report and the ten-point agenda has officially rolled out its work plan and commenced operations.
The committee consists of Senator Agnes Zani, who serves as Chairperson; Javas Bigambo, who serves as Vice Chair; and Fatuma Ibrahim, Gabriel Oguda, and Kevin Kiarie, who serve as members.
The committee's mandate encompasses overseeing various critical areas, including policy development, existing policies, legislation, administrative measures, and monitoring the current status of implementation across different sectors.
Other focus areas include enhancing leadership and integrity, affirming constitutional rights to peaceful assembly, addressing national debt concerns, intensifying anti-corruption efforts, eliminating public resource wastage, and upholding constitutional principles.
