President William Ruto has reiterated that there is no formal political pact binding the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). This clarification comes in the wake of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s remarks affirming the absence of a proper political coalition between the two parties.
In a town hall meeting held in Mombasa on Sunday evening, President Ruto emphasized his commitment to maintaining the integrity of the opposition’s role in providing checks and balances over his administration. He stated that this commitment informed the decision not to form an official alliance with ODM, as he aims to avoid any perception of compromising the opposition’s function.
“Let me clarify, as the party leader of ODM did, that we did not form a coalition government so that nobody will tell us we are trying to compromise the opposition. We have no formal coalition arrangement,” President Ruto asserted.
Instead, President Ruto indicated that his party and Raila Odinga’s ODM have chosen to collaborate on specific issues where their ideologies align, in order to advance the country’s development agenda. He highlighted that this collaboration is based on shared goals rather than a formal political pact.
“What we have is running an administration on matters that we have agreed so that we can put the country first and deal with challenges that put Kenya to where it is,” he explained.
The President elaborated on the areas of agreement between Kenya Kwanza and ODM, citing the housing and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programs as examples. Both parties included these initiatives in their manifestos, which facilitated a consensus on these critical development issues.
“The housing programme was in the manifesto of ODM and it was in the manifesto of Kenya Kwanza. The UHC programme was on both sides of the divide. There are things that are common between us. And my question is, those things that we have no contest about, can we agree on things and move the country forward? And that is how we agreed with ODM on a broad-based government on items that we all agree on,” President Ruto explained.
The President also reflected on the recent challenges faced by the country, which prompted him to seek a more inclusive approach to governance. He revealed that he reached out to a wide range of leaders, finding ODM to be the most willing to engage in constructive dialogue.
“I said I am going to consult and I am going to talk to people who are willing to talk to me. There are those who did not want to talk to me and that’s fine, that’s democracy. There are those whom we sat down and we agreed with on the agenda and on what I was going to do,” President Ruto noted.
In addressing the composition of his cabinet, President Ruto explained the rationale behind co-opting members of the opposition into his administration. He sought to dispel the notion that his government is solely comprised of his close allies and emphasized the need for a fresh start.
“There has been this feeling that maybe this government is made of William Ruto’s friends and buddies. People ask me why I dismissed the whole cabinet and then hired some back. Let me answer it this way, it was necessary to have a fresh start so that even those I have given another opportunity to serve in cabinet must now know that this is new. The terms are different,” he stated.
President Ruto’s approach underscores his commitment to inclusive governance and national development, even as he maintains a clear distinction between his administration and the formal opposition. This strategy aims to foster unity on common goals while preserving the essential democratic function of checks and balances.
