ODM Forms Team To Handle Issues In Ruto-Raila Deal
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said the lack of such a team had delayed progress on the parties' agreed ten-point agenda.
Marvin Chege 
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has revealed plans to set up a technical task force to fast-track the execution of its Memorandum of Understanding with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday, July 29, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said the lack of such a team had delayed progress on the parties' agreed ten-point agenda.
ODM raised concerns over the slow implementation of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report, the need to safeguard young Kenyans, and the upholding of the right to peaceful protest — all commitments outlined in the MoU.
Joined by party leader Raila Odinga and chairperson Gladys Wanga, Sifuna said the task force would take charge of pushing these matters forward.
President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga engage in a conversation after meeting at President Yoweri Museveni's home in Kisozi, Uganda on Monday, February 24, 2024. /PCS
"That in order to expedite the implementation of the 10-point agenda of the MOU, ODM will constitute a technical team to work with UDA counterparts as part of the political infrastructure to assist with the implementation of the agreement," Sifuna announced in part.
Adding "The committee identified the absence of such a technical committee, which is contained in the MOU, as the missing link in the implementation of the document."
The team will concentrate on driving political and institutional reforms, offering technical support on key priorities such as implementing the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report.
The committee also emphasised the need to uphold peaceful political expression and vowed to defend constitutional freedoms, including the right to public assembly and protest.
Regarding devolution, ODM welcomed the recent Ksh415 billion allocation to counties as a step forward but maintained its commitment to advocating for Raila Odinga’s proposed KSh450 billion allocation.
The party also reiterated its call for the immediate transfer of all devolved functions to county governments and the resolution of outstanding devolution-related issues.
“While the members arrived here with different viewpoints on many issues within the party and the country, the committee brokered an unbreakable unity of purpose in the party and a single-minded focus on ensuring that ODM continues to be a loyal servant of the people that the country, serving in the best interest of its supporters and the nation and committed to the agenda of national transformation and stability,” the statement concluded.
In a bid to tackle the country’s pressing challenges—especially those affecting the youth—ODM has backed calls for an inter-generational national conference.
This announcement comes amid reports of internal rifts within ODM, sparked by growing discontent over party leader Raila Odinga’s cooperation with President Ruto’s administration.
Some members, including Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, have voiced criticism of the government, accusing it of disregarding the terms of the March MoU between Ruto and Raila.
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