Ruto: 'I am deep rooted in ODM'

President William Ruto at the ODM Founders Dinner during the party’s three-day, 20th anniversary celebration in Mombasa County. [PCS] 

President William Ruto now says the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party has remained a strong movement for over the years.

Ruto said the party for the last 20 years has remained strong because it has risen above personality, regional and tribal politics, retaining its presence and vibrancy in every part of the country.

Ruto said his political journey has deep roots in ODM, where he was not only a founding member, but also a deputy party leader.

As a result, Ruto said every other political party can learn the many lessons from ODM.

Speaking at the ODM Founders Dinner during the party’s three-day, 20th anniversary celebration in Mombasa County on Saturday evening, Ruto said strong national political parties are the foundation of democracy, without which there cannot be a strong democratic state.

While congratulating ODM for its resilience over the past two decades Ruto said, “I have come here to celebrate ODM as a strong party, not a briefcase party, not a regional party, but a national party.”

Ruto said celebrating ODM as a national political party inspires other political parties in the country that it is possible to rise above tribalism and build a movement based on ideology.

Present at the colourful event were ODM Party Leader Oburu Oginga, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, and deputy party leaders Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir and Simba Arati, who are also the governors of Mombasa and Kisii respectively, and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi.

President William Ruto at the ODM Founders Dinner during the party’s three-day, 20th anniversary celebration in Mombasa County. [PCS] 

Others were Governors Anyang' Nyong'o (Kisumu) and Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay), former ODM deputy party leaders and now Cabinet Secretaries Ali Hassan Joho (Mining and Blue Economy) and Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives and MSMEs), among others.

President Ruto urged Kenyans to exercise political tolerance and remember that political competition is not enmity.

He said the late former Prime Minister and founding party leader of ODM Raila Odinga had shown that it was possible to rise above political competition and reach out across the political aisle for the sake of Kenya.

"That's how Mr Raila Odinga was able to work with Presidents (Daniel) Moi, (Mwai) Kibaki, Uhuru (Kenyatta) and myself even though they were competitors," he said.

The President urged the leadership of ODM to uphold its legacy of a strong united national party in honour of Raila.

He appealed to the leaders and members of ODM not to allow disagreements within the party to lead to disintegration.

“I urge the people who now have the reins of the management of this party not to undermine the spirit of ODM,” he said.

President William Ruto at the ODM Founders Dinner during the party’s three-day, 20th anniversary celebration in Mombasa County. [PCS] 

President Ruto described the late Raila as a leader who always placed the country’s interests first and whose legacy will live on.

“Raila Odinga was not a tribalist. He believed in Kenya. He always extended his wings to cover as many people as possible,” he said.

He called on ODM members to continue working with the broad-based government so that they continue implementing their shared agenda, noting that the manifestos of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and ODM are up to 80 per cent similar.

“We have the same agenda. If you read the manifestos of ODM and UDA, the difference is maybe only 20 per cent. Let us therefore forge forward,” he said.

On their part, members of the ODM party vowed to continue working with the government under the broad-based government.

Mr Oburu said the ODM party will work with the government to implement policies that the party believes in, noting that there was no party in the world which is formed to be in the opposition.

He explained that working with the government to achieve the desired change is a smarter choice compared to street protests advocated by some of its members.