“We as the ODM Party have decided to give our party leader, Oburu Oginga, the mandate and space to speak with other parties that have the same manifesto as ours, starting with the United Democratic Alliance. We are heading in the direction that our former party leader Raila Odinga was taking us,” she said. On January 14, United Democratic Alliance National Executive Committee formally mandated party leader President Ruto to initiate structured coalition negotiations with ODM ahead of the 2027 general elections. Following that acknowledgement, the NEC resolved to place the responsibility of steering the engagement on the party leader. “The NEC mandated the UDA party leader to establish mechanisms for structured engagement with the ODM party to achieve the desired outcome,” the communiqué said, effectively authorising President Ruto to lead talks aimed at shaping a pre-election coalition framework.

Source: The Star February 01, 2026 21:01 UTC