ODM maintains support for broad-based Gov’t, to form 10-member committee to work with UDA

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party has officially declared its full support for the Kenya Kwanza administration, pledging to work with President William Ruto in implementing the broad-based government agenda.

In a resolution passed on Tuesday by the party’s Central Committee chaired by its leader Raila Odinga, the leadership affirmed its commitment to promoting national stability and addressing citizens’ concerns through constitutional and democratic means.

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, in a subsequent press statement, said the party would constitute a 10-member technical committee to work jointly with counterparts from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) to oversee the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed last year.

“The party supports the position of Party Leader Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga to work with the Kenya Kwanza administration to stabilise the country and create an enabling environment for Kenyans to address their concerns through democratic and constitutional means,” said Sifuna.

“In order to expedite the implementation of the 10-point agenda of the MoU, ODM will constitute a technical team to work with UDA counterparts as part of the political infrastructure to assist with the implementation of the agreement.”

Sifuna noted that the absence of a joint technical committee had stalled progress on key aspects of the agreement, particularly the full implementation of the NADCO report.

He highlighted the need to prioritise youth livelihoods, peaceful assembly, the rule of law, and the fight against corruption and waste of public resources.

The party also welcomed the government’s recent allocation of Ksh.415 billion to counties, but insisted it would continue advocating for an increase to at least Ksh.450 billion, as previously proposed by Mr. Odinga.

“We acknowledge the allocation of Ksh.415 billion to counties as an improvement on the previous disbursement, but we will continue pushing for the raising of the allocation to a minimum of Ksh.450 billion or more,” Sifuna noted.

Additionally, ODM demanded the full implementation of the unbundling of devolved functions and constitutionally sanctioned resources to county governments.

The party further backed calls for a national inter-generational conference focused on youth issues and reaffirmed plans to proceed with grassroots elections and the “ODM at 20” celebrations as part of its internal reorganisation efforts.

Despite members holding differing opinions on key issues, Sifuna said the committee had reached “an unbreakable unity of purpose,” vowing that ODM would remain loyal to its supporters and committed to the national transformation agenda.

“The committee brokered an unbreakable unity of purpose in the party and a single-minded focus on ensuring that ODM continues to be a loyal servant of the people and the country,” said Sifuna. “We are committed to the agenda of national transformation and stability.”

The resolutions come amid a rift in the party with a section of members pledging their loyalty to Sifuna and others backing the ODM party leader.

Last week, Sifuna had pronounced himself on the party’s beliefs, reiterating that the party would not support the broad-based government at a time when some of its members were fully in support of Ruto’s government.

He was later criticised for standing against the party leaders with some members even threatening to push for his removal as the Secretary General.