Full implementation of NADCO report puts UDA–ODM pre-election alliance under pressure

Members of the Committee Overseeing the Implementation of 10-Point and the NADCO Report (COIN-10) during a meeting with National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah on December 4, 2025. (Photo: X/The ODM Party)

By Barack Oduor
Thursday, December 4, 2025

UDA and ODM pre-election alliance faces new pressure as NADCO report implementation advances, amid Rigathi Gachagua’s claims of bad faith and analysts warning the deal may be more optics than reform.

The pre-election alliance between President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to work closely in securing the president’s second term in the 2027 General Election faces a significant test: the full implementation of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) Report.

The process to implement the report gained momentum on Wednesday, as the Committee on Implementation reassured the public that it is on track with its mandate, promising to complete the public engagement phase within the planned timelines.

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In a detailed update following a three-day stock-taking retreat, the committee sought to calm Kenyans eager to see tangible progress on the political accord signed between President Ruto and the late ODM leader Raila Odinga.

"The Committee on Implementation of the Ten-Point Agenda and the NADCO Report (COIN-10) has assured Kenyans that it will finalise public engagement to address the issues raised within the scheduled time," the statement read.

However, political scepticism clouds the prospects of full implementation.

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has warned the newly appointed ODM party leader, Oburu Oginga, that the president has no intention of implementing the NADCO report, despite the party’s insistence.

No plans to implement report

Speaking during the celebration of the newly elected DCP leaders at the ODM headquarters on Wednesday, 3 December 2025, Gachagua criticised Oburu and the ODM, claiming that President Ruto had confided in him, while still in office, that he had no plans to implement the report or the 10-point agenda deliberated by the Kalonzo Musyoka–led committee.

"Niliskia Oburu akisema anaongojea Ruto a-implement 10-point agenda. Alishaniambia hakuna mahali hii kitu inaenda. Tell William Ruto, if he is serious and he wants to implement NADCO, he should do so fast, just like he removed me from office," Gachagua said.

He further urged Oburu Oginga, who has been calling for its implementation, to act with urgency, arguing that if the president genuinely supports the NADCO Report, he should mobilise funds, call MPs and senators, and instruct them to fast-track its implementation, just as he expedited Gachagua’s removal from office in two weeks.

Gachagua also dismissed the 10-point agenda, which formed the basis of the broad-based agreement between the late Raila Odinga and the UDA, claiming its implementation would never materialise.

He cautioned ODM operatives against their continued closeness with President Ruto, asserting that Ruto’s ultimate aim is to undermine the party. According to Gachagua, once a vibrant party, ODM is now in decline, and he claimed the president will deliver the final blow.

While critics may dismiss Gachagua’s claims as the outbursts of a politician embittered by his premature exit from office, political observers suggest that the NADCO Report risks becoming another report gathering dust on the shelves.

Political analyst Samuel Owida expressed scepticism over the implementation, suggesting that the current process is more about political optics than progress.

"Is the NADCO report the first one in the country? I guess it is not. I believe President Ruto, who is a political tactician, is using the report to buy time as he plots for his re-election," Owida said.