Ruto, Raila pact raises 2027 presidential contest stakes
"As the prime minister has said, there will be wide consultations across the political divide as we work towards the unity of our country and progress of Kenya," Ruto said.
If a day is a long time in politics, then a week or months is capable of confounding allies and foes into something else in the very game of politics.
A meeting between Orange Democratic Movement Party Leader Raila Odinga and President William Ruto among their parties' chairpersons has sent tongues wagging that the formation of a giant political machine for the 2027 presidential contest is neigh.
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In a cordial appearance at State House Mombasa on Monday, Ruto and Raila revealed they would announce their next move sooner rather than expected.
Raila's trusted allies, including his elder brother Oburu Odinga, lawyer Paul Mwangi, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, and Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho, were present at the meeting.
Lawyer Mwangi and Oburu have previously played significant roles in shaping Raila's political strategies, including the 2018 rapprochement between former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila.
Mwangi also played a key role as Raila's legal advisor during the drafting of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report and its legal instruments, though the campaign was ultimately rejected by the courts. Mwangi's presence at the meeting signals the importance of the meeting, particularly following Raila's recent AUC campaign failure.
"As the prime minister has said, there will be wide consultations across the political divide as we work towards the unity of our country and progress of Kenya," Ruto said.
He added that the meeting was intended to unite the country and focus on collective efforts. "As an administration that is broad-based, there is reason for us to accelerate the momentum of things that will transform our nation," Ruto said.
Earlier, Raila said he would consult with friends and supporters and make a major political decision in due course, thanking President Ruto and his team for their full support during his AUC chairmanship campaign.
"I am going to widely consult my friends and supporters and I will make an announcement in due course on the way forward," Raila stated.
Political observers have read the possible formation of a political juggernaut by the duo ahead of the 2027 election.
President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga at State House, Mombasa on February 24, 2025. (Photo: PCS)
Lawyer and Governance Expert Javas Arafat Bigambo told The Eastleigh Voice that the meeting between Raila, Ruto and their lieutenants was meant to formalise the broad-based government arrangement which is likely to make them work together politically in the future.
Coalition agreement?
"What President Ruto and Raila Odinga have done is to formalise the broad-based government cooperation, which has been amorphous. It has nothing to do with a pre-election coalition yet. A coalition arrangement will be a grandstanding venture in the nick of time in 2027," said Bigambo.
In his view, Raila and Ruto's move leaves other opposition leaders like Wiper Party's Kalonzo Musyoka aloof. "This arrangement will leave the likes of Kalonzo Musyoka where he has always been...in the laid-back background. He never has a formidable strategy. I also think Ruto working with Raila will leave former Deputy President Gachagua gasping for air."
Raila's move could brew or calm a storm in his Orange party which has been braving political tempest over sharp fallout bordering cooperation with Ruto's reelection quest.
ODM Party Secretary General and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has opined that President William Ruto's re-election bid in 2027 will flop even with Raila Odinga's support.
The political firebrand maintained that the President-led Kenya Kwanza coalition has exhibited incompetence and has lost the people's favour, adding that grounds for re-election are severely slim.
The ODM Party's top official added that it will not throw its weight behind Ruto's administration, as intimated by other party members.
"Even if ODM supports Ruto, he will still lose. As a party, we do not support either the internal affairs or the external affairs of the way this country is being run. William Ruto will lose that election with Raila's support," he told Citizen TV last week on Thursday.
Sifuna went on to add that ODM will only associate with parties with similar ideologies and those that bolster astute governance to improve the lives of Kenyans.
His sentiments lie on the backdrop of claims that ODM has joined forces with the State as an aftermath of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Nairobi branch chairman George Aladwa has issued a stern warning, accusing him of undermining the party from within and threatening his position.
Sifuna's stance has faced vehement opposition from a section of lawmakers in the party who have vowed to support Ruto's reelection bid. The group is led by Makadara MP Aladwa who went ahead to say that Sifuna's opposition to ODM's political alignment with President William Ruto could lead to his removal.
Aladwa has criticised Sifuna for his persistent attacks on the broad-based government, terming his actions as an affront to Raila Odinga's authority. He argued that Sifuna's opposition to the political truce between President William Ruto and Odinga was detrimental to the party's unity.
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