Raila: Why I cannot work with Gachagua

ODM leader Raila Odinga after meeting with party leaders serving in the broad-based government and parliamentary leadership in Nairobi, on March 20, 2025. [Emmanuel Wanson, Standard]

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has reiterated that he will not back down on his unity deal with President William Ruto, asserting that it is aimed at improving Kenya for the better.

In a thinly veiled attack on former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Raila emphasised that he made an independent decision to work with Ruto and rejected calls to collaborate with his opposition colleagues.

The ODM leader mocked Gachagua's past remarks, in which he had vowed to ensure Raila would never work with Ruto by "setting traps that would prevent him from accessing State House".

"Hatutaki unafiki ya mtu alisema ameweka mtego (we do not want hypocrisy from someone who said he had set traps for us). Now those who set traps for us have been caught in them themselves," he said when he hosted an Iftar dinner for Muslim leaders in Nairobi on Tuesday.

Raila expressed confidence that his decision to work with Ruto would bear fruit.

"We are aware of the step we took and the direction we are headed. Some people have been telling us where we should go. Sisi hatuwezi kudanganywa na tunajua mahali tunaenda (We cannot be misled, we know where we are headed)," Raila remarked.

He added: "We must end tribal and discriminatory politics. Every Kenyan must be recognised as a Kenyan. We should not be concerned with the ethnic communities people belong to. We are one as Kenyans, and that is the country we have envisioned."

Raila said Kenya still has a long way to go in achieving free and fair elections, but he expressed optimism that the country was making progress.

He noted that Kenya faces significant challenges, which necessitate the unity of all leaders who must prioritise the country's interests and defend its sovereignty.

"Where we are is not where we wanted to be. But the country must move forward, and that is why we are saying let us unite," he said.

He added: "Kenya is more important than any individual, and we must keep defending our nation. We have come from far, and we must protect this nation."

Last month, Gachagua and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka urged Raila to consider resuming his role of leading the opposition following his defeat in the African Union Commission chairmanship election on February 15 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

However, Raila responded that he would not work with those who had previously worked against him.

"Do you want us to work with someone who set traps for me? I told him that is impossible," Raila said ahead of signing the pact with Ruto.

Ruto and Raila signed an agreement focused on a 10-point agenda. Among other priorities, the agreement seeks to implement recommendations from the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report, including the creation of the Office of the Official Opposition Leader and the reinstatement of the Prime Minister's position.

Ruto said the deal between his ruling UDA party and Raila's ODM was not about power-sharing or the 2027 elections, but about fostering unity to drive the country's social, economic, and political transformation.