In what can only be termed as a spectacular event in the political arena of Kenya, President William Ruto has taken an amazing step in the direction of establishing ODM (Orange Democratic Movement) coalition talks. This decision has surprised the ruling party and the opposition as well.
Neither of them expected such rapid moves from the president just two years before the 2027 General Election. Analysts point out that it is a high-stakes maneuver that can change the alliances, push the adversaries aside, and alter the whole contest for national leadership.
The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) National Executive Committee (NEC) met at State House, Nairobi, on Wednesday evening and granted the president full powers unanimously to open structured negotiations with the ODM—a party that has been at the center of Kenya’s opposition for a long time and once was a direct rival to Ruto’s coalition of Kenya Kwanza.
The NEC resolution gives Ruto the responsibility of constructing the ways for engagement that are aimed to result in a coalition pact before the elections of 2027.
The NEC communiqué states that this fast change in direction acknowledges ODM’s discussions about its own electoral strategy and a more general wish to guarantee Kenya’s political future with a united front rather than with a divided opposition.
UDA leaders insist that the official alliance is meant to not only enhance the current cooperation but also to set among the actors in the pre-election period a clear strategic background well in advance of the election season.
Critics have cautioned that the action might erode the distinctiveness of the traditional parties and cause the shifting of the political alliances that have been established.
After the party’s Central Management Committee indicated readiness to allow structured bargaining, the debates have become more intense among the ODM factions, which are still divided over the issues of supporting Ruto’s re-election, endorsing an independent candidate, or seeking other alliances.
The urgency surrounding the negotiations is also a reflection of the surging organizational power of the UDA, which recent grassroots elections have shown, where the party had nearly half a million members voting. Party personnel consider the ODM dialogue as a well-calculated move to not only gather political power but also to encompass the coalition’s presence across the nation.
Leave a Reply