A section of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leaders has insisted that any political partnership between the party and President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ahead of the August 2027 General Election must be anchored on clear conditions and structured negotiations.
Led by Kisumu West MP Rosa Buyu, the leaders maintained that ODM should not surrender its political strength without securing an agreement that safeguards the party’s interests and guarantees meaningful benefits for its supporters.
Speaking in Nyando during a Gor Mahia fans’ empowerment fundraiser on Saturday, November 7, Buyu likened ODM to a beautiful woman who should not throw herself at a suitor but instead wait for him to make an approach and negotiate mutually acceptable terms.
The legislator declared that ODM was ready to support President Ruto’s re-election bid but insisted that the partnership must be based on agreed conditions.
“We cannot go like an ugly lady. We must put conditions, and we must agree. But we want to tell Ruto that we will give him full support,” Buyu said.
Buyu also praised President Ruto for what she described as his leadership and ability to provide political direction to the Luo community, arguing that he was incomparable to Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua.
She dismissed Gachagua’s political influence in the region, drawing a distinction between Ruto, whom she described as the President of Kenya, and the former Deputy President, whom she termed the president of shareholders.
Buyu maintained that the Luo community would not align itself with Gachagua’s political camp, warning his sympathisers in the region against attempting to steer the community in that direction.
Kericho Senator and Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot, who also addressed the gathering, dismissed the politics of ethnic shareholding, saying no community should be marginalised or denied opportunities because of its identity.
Cheruiyot argued that ending such politics was among the key reasons President Ruto and the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga came together to establish the broad-based government.
He said the arrangement had created an opportunity for more equitable distribution of national resources across the 47 counties, regardless of political or ethnic affiliation.
Responding to Buyu’s insistence that ODM should negotiate conditions before declaring its support for Ruto, Cheruiyot said the two parties would pursue structured negotiations aimed at securing an arrangement that delivers tangible benefits to Kenyans.
He expressed confidence that ODM would remain a formidable political force and work alongside UDA to form the next government in 2027, dismissing divisions within the party as unlikely to derail its political direction.
“Here in ODM, together with our colleagues in UDA, we believe in our republic. That is why we are saying Usawa ni Sawa. ODM knows where it is, where it has come from and where it is going,” Cheruiyot said.
He assured ODM supporters across the country that UDA recognised the party as an equal political partner deserving of respect, adding that the two parties would negotiate a partnership capable of delivering the development aspirations championed by Raila.
“As leaders in UDA, we understand the strength of ODM, and we shall engage ODM as an equal partner, a partner that deserves respect, with whom we can form a strong government together,” he said.
Cheruiyot invoked Raila’s longstanding political vision, promising that the proposed partnership would help deliver the prosperity he had envisioned for Kenyans.
He likened that aspiration to the biblical promise of a land flowing with milk and honey, which he said Raila had consistently promised his supporters.
The senator also took a swipe at ODM politicians opposed to the emerging political alignment, urging the Luo community not to follow Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino into Gachagua’s Wamunyoro political camp.
His remarks come amid growing debate within ODM over the party’s political direction, the terms of its engagement with UDA and the possibility of a formal alliance ahead of the 2027 General Election.
