President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga will on Monday preside
over their first ever joint Parliamentary Group meeting—an unprecedented
political convergence, symbolising a looming 2027 deal.
The State House meeting is expected to bring MPs from ODM
and the Kenya Kwanza coalition under one roof.
The two leaders are hoping to
rally lawmakers behind a common legislative agenda.
It comes just days after Ruto agreed
to compensate victims of police brutality and appointed a joint team to oversee
the implementation of his MoU with Raila.
“We will meet our MPs from ODM and Kenya Kwanza to agree on how to unite and move the country forward,” Ruto said in Migori on Thursday.
But the meeting, as historic as it may be, is
already under siege.
A faction of rebel MPs from both camps has vowed to boycott it, dismissing the
arrangement as a betrayal of their political ideals.
Kitutu Chache South MP Antony Kibagendi, who has drifted politically towards former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, dismissed the gathering as a
“broad-based affair” that undermines his convictions.
“I will not attend. For what? I am not a
member of the broad-based government,” he told the
Star.
From the ODM side, Embakasi East MP Babu
Owino—one of the most outspoken critics of the Ruto–Raila pact—said the
venue compromises parliamentary independence.
“If this meeting is truly about unity and
reforms, it should be held at a neutral ground, Uhuru Park, Jacaranda Grounds, somewhere
MPs can speak freely,” he said, adding that he would be in Mombasa for the
Law Society of Kenya conference instead.
Saboti MP Caleb Amisi said the President is not his party leader. He said the
meeting should have been held at ODM headquarters, Chungwa House.
Their defiance adds to a growing list of
dissenters, including allies of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who
accuse Ruto’s administration of sidelining them politically.
Gatanga MP Edwin Muriu
termed the joint Parliamentary Group meeting to plan Ruto’s 2027 re-election.
The MP claimed they have been unfairly kicked out of influential
parliamentary committees and ejected from official WhatsApp groups, a move they
say was designed to humiliate and weaken their influence.
“I have not been invited and I don’t
expect to be invited. Remember the people who support Rigathi Gachagua were
exorcised. We were removed from the committees and PG
whatsapp groups, so even when people are going to State House we are never invited,”
Muriu said.
“That is an affair of Ruto and Raila
and they are planning for 2027. For us we are waiting for Gachagua to come from
the US and start preparing for the by-elections, DCP launch and signing MoU
with all other like-minded parties.”
The meeting is part of
the quarterly joint PGs that Ruto and Raila announced while forming a five-member
committee to oversee the implementation of the 10-point Memorandum of
Understanding and the Nadco report.
The committee chaired
by former nominated Senator Agnes Zani has settled on governance expert
Javas Bigambo as deputy.
Other members of the
team include Kevin Kiarie, Gabriel Oguda and Fatuma Ibrahim.
The team will on Monday
submit progress reports before the joint sitting at State House.
“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 quarterly basis,” communication signed by Ruto and Raila said.
“A final comprehensive report
detailing the status of the MoU’s implementation will be released to the public
on March 7 next year, marking the one-year anniversary of its signing.”
Kajiado Central MP
Elijah Memusi also told the Star he will not be available, citing a pre-planned
engagement.
His absence, he said has nothing to do with the broad-based politics.
Observers, however, say the Monday
session and even the five-member committee is designed to calm simmering
disquiet, especially in ODM and rally MPs around a common agenda before dissent
hardens into open rebellion.
“The President is trying
to help Raila manage restlessness in the ODM Party,” political analyst Martin
Andati told the Star.
Raila allies have
recently expressed opposition to the deal with ODM secretary general Edwin
Sifuna terming the MoU ‘dead’.
