Kenya Kwanza-ODM agreement is not a coalition, says National Assembly Minority Whip Osoro
Osoro emphasised that ODM members have already been working informally within the government, and this agreement aims to formalise this arrangement.
National Assembly Minority Whip Silvanus Osoro has clarified that the agreement between Kenya Kwanza and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is not a coalition but a structured arrangement to guide their collaboration until 2027.
"Today is a day of happiness. It is also a historic day in Kenya because today the government of Kenya Kwanza and Azimio will sign a working framework and not a coalition. It is a working framework," Osoro stated.
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Osoro emphasised that ODM members have already been working informally within the government, and this agreement aims to formalise this arrangement. He pointed out that the government had advertised some positions and submitted names, underscoring the importance of the framework in coordinating these appointments.
"This is about how we will work from now until 2027. This is not about the 2027 general elections. This is just a working framework," he reiterated.
Osoro acknowledged that ODM and Kenya Kwanza were previously on opposing sides, particularly in Parliament.
"ODM was our opponent, and you could see even in Parliament we used to ‘attack’ each other. But this is now a working framework,” he said.
Parliamentary committees
He explained that the agreement would extend cooperation beyond the executive to Parliament, where opposition members will now lead some committees.
On Friday morning, President William Ruto met with 170 MPs allied to Kenya Kwanza at State House to brief them on the expected agreement with ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Top government officials, including Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, attended the meeting.
During the meeting, Ruto reaffirmed his commitment to cooperation and urged leaders to prioritise national interests over political divisions. "This is the time to put Kenya and the people ahead of any other consideration. We will work together, our political inclinations notwithstanding, to take our country forward. Kenya and the people must succeed," Ruto stated in a message on X.
The high-level meeting preceded the unveiling of the broader cooperation agreement later that day. Reports suggest that Ruto reassured Kenya Kwanza MPs about the partnership's rationale, amidst rumours of government positions going to ODM allies.
As part of the agreement, Kenya Kwanza has already relinquished several parliamentary committee leadership positions to ODM, with expectations that Raila Odinga will also nominate allies for government roles. Raila had spent the previous week consulting his supporters nationwide, culminating in a meeting with top Nairobi ODM leaders at the Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC) on Friday night.
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