Ruto, Raila Appoint Technical Committee to Assess ODM-UDA MoU, Gabriel Oguda Named Member
- A five-member team has been put in place to fast-track the objectives of President William Ruto's working pact with ODM leader Raila Odinga
- The two leaders signed a memorandum of understanding based on 10 critical issues that have been pressing to Kenyans, including cases of abductions and police excesses
- The committee will evaluate the progress in the actualisation of the agendas, and they will brief the principals with a report every two months
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President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga have constituted a committee charged with assessing the workings of the memorandum of understanding that the ruling UDA party signed with ODM in March this year.
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The pact was based on ten key agendas, which the technical team will now assess.
Through a communique shared by President William Ruto, the committee will commence its work immediately upon its appointment.
How Ruto, Raila's new committee will operate
Ruto said their operations will be funded privately by the ODM and UDA parties.
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"In executing its mandate under the guidance of the principals, the committee shall undertake inclusive and extensive consultations with members of the public and all relevant stakeholders, including the arms of Government, Government departments, independent commissions, civil society, religious institutions, and the private sector, to ensure that the implementation of the MoU is informed by diverse perspectives and addresses the needs and aspirations of all Kenyans," read Ruto's communique.
The team will be chaired by former nominated senator Agnes Zani; other members are Fatuma Ibrahim, Kevin Kiarie, Gabriel Oguda and Javas Bigambo.
Their operations will be bolstered on the side by executive teams from the UDA and ODM parties.
It will submit reports every two months to both Ruto and Raila, and the joint parliament group meeting, bringing together lawmakers from the two parties.
"The committee will commence its work immediately and will submit progress reports to the principals every two months, and to a joint Kenya Kwanza-ODM Parliamentary Group on a quarterly basis. The Parliamentary Group will hold its first sitting on August 18, 2025. A final comprehensive report detailing the status of the MOU's implementation will be released to the public on March 7, 2026, marking the one-year anniversary of its signing," the president's communique added.
The team will also oversee the implementation of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report adopted in 2023.
ODM national chairperson Gladys Wanga welcomed the formation of the committee with the hope that it will allay the concerns of the doubting Thomases.
"I congratulate the team members and urge them to ensure the expedient implementation of the people-centred issues outlined in the MoU," she said.
The committee was birthed nine days after the ODM party met and agreed on the formation of a technical team to assess the pact.
This was after ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna excused himself from the arrangement, saying the deal was good as dead, as the government had already reneged on what it was supposed to honour in the document.
The Nairobi senator was among the signatories in the document.
Why Edwin Sifuna questioned Raila's MoU with Ruto
He pointed out the increase in cases of abductions and police excesses, wanton corruption, misuse of public resources and bloated expenditures and flouting of the rule of law, among others.
The foregoing had been outlined as the thematic areas of the memorandum of understanding.
Sifuna's pronouncement caused a storm in ODM, with a section of the ranking stalwarts accusing him of disrespectfully dissenting from the position held by the party and its leader.
Some wanted him ousted for his tough stance.
But Raila quickly came to his defence, saying the secretary general reserves the right to air his views.
He then called a meeting of the central committee, bringing together members of the top brass to decide on the way forward and forestall further divisions in the party.
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Seeming to have taken cognisance of Sifuna's concerns, the committee agreed to evaluate the government on its end of the MoU.
Which issues did Raila and Ruto agree to work on?
The MoU was centred on ten key matters that have caused unrest in the country, and which the party wanted the government to address.
The issues are; protecting and strengthening devolution, promoting and protecting the livelihood of the youth, enhancing leadership and integrity, protecting Kenyans' right to peaceful assembly, compensation for victims of protests, handling the national debt, and fighting against corruption.
Others are stopping the wastage of public resources and promoting government efficiency, protecting and promoting the sovereignty of the people, the rule of law, and constitutionalism and full implementation of the NADCO report, and inclusivity in all spheres of public life.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
