The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has announced plans to open structured negotiations with other political formations, including the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), ahead of the next general election.
This decision was reached on Monday, January 12, following a meeting that featured members of the ODM Central Committee held in Kilifi County. During the meeting, the party leaders reviewed the political, organisational, and strategic position of the party.
In a statement issued after the meeting, Oburu Oginga, on behalf of the Central Committee, said it had resolved to pursue pre-election political alliances as part of ODM’s broader strategy to strengthen its national footing.
Effectively, the committee formally mandated the ODM Party Leader to initiate negotiations with the United Democratic Alliance, marking a significant political development given the long-standing rivalry between the two political factions before 2024.
"The Committee meeting expressed the intention to initiate structured negotiations with different political formations, beginning with the United Democratic Alliance. To this end, we have mandated the Party Leader to commence this process," a statement from the Committee read.
According to the committee, the talks are intended to be structured and deliberate, focusing on shared interests and the evolving political landscape rather than ad hoc arrangements.
At the same time, ODM said it will carry out internal consultations with its members across the country to ensure that any political realignment reflects the views and aspirations of the party’s grassroots.
These consultations are expected to inform the party’s final position and will eventually culminate in a National Delegates Convention, where key decisions are traditionally ratified.
The committee also addressed the implementation of the Party’s 10-Point Agenda, focusing on the compensation of victims of public protests. Since the court declared the panel of experts on compensation unlawful, ODM resolved to channel any compensation through the constitutionally recognised Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).
During the presser on Monday, Oburu Odinga was put to task to explain why some notable key names like ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and Deputy Party leader Godfrey Otsotsi were absent from the leaders' meeting.
In response, Oburu played down any tensions, instead clarifying that both Sifuna and Otsotsi had issued apologies since they were logistically unable to attend the Kilifi event.
Notably, Sifuna is one of the fiercest critics of the Kenya Kwanza government within ODM and in 2025, he sensationally claimed he would rather walk out of the party than liaise with President William Ruto.
His stance, however, softened following the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, with Sifuna declaring he was unwilling to be the reason why ODM sunk. He effectively extended an olive branch to his adversaries within the party to address their grievances.
