Elements within UDA and ODM have sabotaged 10-point agenda

When President William Ruto of UDA and Raila Odinga of ODM signed a agreement to work together at KICC. [FILE]

The 10-point reform package signed by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and President William Ruto on March 7, 2025 has been deliberately sabotaged and misrepresented by vocal proponents of the Broad-Based Government (BBG).

By their conduct, some of these supporters have clearly not read the 10-point package or the National Dialogue Committee (Nadco) report of 2023.

To foster public confusion, operatives have invented a myth that on March 7, 2025 Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and United Democratic Alliance (UDA) signed a coalition/power-sharing agreement called the BBG. They use the phrases 10-point agenda and BBG interchangeably to sow confusion.

The propaganda depicts Kenya Kwanza as satisfactorily implementing the 10-point reform package. Repetitive falsehoods are designed to dissuade citizens from reading the March 7, 2025 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for themselves. This way, the government escapes its reform responsibilities envisaged by Raila, the late ODM leader.

As ODM and UDA gathered to sign the 10-point MoU at the KICC last year, a leading member of ODM tried to sneak in a purported power-sharing agreement (of an unknown origin) between the parties, expecting our departed leader to append his signature.

Raila rejected this document and assigned five ODM officials to draft the 10-point reforms MoU instead. Fearing a backlash, UDA made a U-turn and accepted the MoU- and not because they believed in it. UDA was solely interested in the optics of the President being seen signing an agreement with Raila and ODM.

Until ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna publicly lamented about the MoU’s neglect, UDA was not interested in its implementation. Once foiled, UDA signed a communique with ODM on August 6 last year, to create a five-member implementation committee chaired by former Senator Agnes Zani. The committee was tasked to publish its programmes, seek public views and appraise the joint ODM/UDA parliamentary groups on the implementation of the MoU. A final report and assessment of the implementation is expected on March 7, 2026.

As ODM’s Deputy Party leader who understood Raila’s wishes and concerns, I reiterate that no coalition power-sharing pact was signed between ODM and UDA on March 7, 2025 or afterwards.

Further, the BBG and the 10-point MoU are not the same. The BBG was not conceived by the MoU but the two have become conjoined twins since and killing the MoU kills the BBG. The MoU binds ODM and UDA to implement the 10-point reform package to address the causes of the 2024 Gen Z uprising and the 2023 Azimio protests. The 10 points to be implemented include the Nadco report, fostering inclusivity in budget making, resource allocation and appointments, youth economic empowerment and promoting public integrity by officials.

The MoU bound Kenya Kwanza to restore the Bill of Rights, including the right to peaceful assembly and to compensate victims of State oppression. The government was also bound to audit the national debt and to publicise its usage, curb corruption and wastage of public resources.

The State also committed to restore sovereignty of the people and the rule of law, constitutionalism and press freedom. Implementation of the MoU is woefully slow and behind schedule, two months to March 7, 2026. As the MoU wobbles, UDA and complicit elements in ODM are rushing through and prioritising a power sharing pact.

Meanwhile, the rule of law remains crippled and the economy continues to tank despite the histrionics from the National Treasury.

The Dr Zani committee is underfunded. It operates with extreme stealth under partisan State supervision. There are reports that the committee plans to declare all the 10 points superbly achieved.

Not once has the committee met the people and civil society or appraised the ODM/UDA joint PGs. Amendment to the Elections Act and Political Parties Act, required under Nadco, have not received presidential assent. These delays are orchestrated through legal treachery by the State.

Even where the law is clear that only the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) implements reparations for rights abuses, or that only the Auditor General audits the public debt, Kenya Kwanza created unconstitutional committees for these purposes.

The constitutional court has ruled KNCHR should lead the reparations but the State has not allocated it additional funding. Instead the State is appealing the court verdict. Kenya Kwanza has ignored a court order to disburse Sh12billion owed to ODM.

Conceived in 2005 as a reformist movement, ODM spearheaded the making of the 2010 Constitution. ODM secured devolution, social and economic rights and equity, land reform, Executive and sector reform including civilian oversight and independence of these offices.

The MoU is a continuation of Raila’s wishes and legacy. He fought a brave fight amid State repression, was denied clear victory, many times but he retained belief in constitutionalism, a legacy now under unashamed sacrifice at the altar of myopic euphoria, hubris and selfish gain. Raila turns in the grave at this betrayal.