The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party has announced plans to constitute a technical team to expedite the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed with President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, while addressing the press on Tuesday afternoon, noted that the absence of such a task force was the missing link in the implementation of the ten-point agenda.
Of great concern, according to ODM, was the lack of full implementation of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report, the protection of young Kenyans and adherence to the right to peaceful assembly, per the MoU.
Speaking alongside other party principals, including party leader Raila Odinga and party chairperson Gladys Wanga, Sifuna said the task force would be responsible for ensuring the aforementioned issues are addressed.
"To expedite the implementation of the ten-point agenda in the MoU, ODM will constitute a technical team to work with our UDA counterpart to assit with the implementation of the agreement," Sifuna said.
He went on to add, "The committee has identified the absence of such a technical committee, which is contained in the MoU, as the missing link in the implementation of the agenda."
According to the Nairobi Senator, the team will also be responsible for addressing graft challenges and wastage of resources within Ruto's government.
County Allocation
During the presser, ODM also pledged to continue pushing for the raising of the allocation to counties to a minimum of Ksh450 billion or more in every financial year.
Additionally, the party called for the implementation of the unbundling of devolved functions and requisite and constitutionally sanctioned resources to the counties.
To further address the challenge facing the country, particularly among the youth, ODM affirmed its support for an inter-generational national conference.
The latest development comes amidst reports of growing division among ODM party members over the party leader's decision to work closely with the Ruto administration.
A section of ODM party members led by Sifuna have been critical of the current administration, accusing it of failing to heed the MoU signed between Ruto and Raila in March this year.
