Oparanya eyes DP slot, warns of ODM exit over power-sharing deal

Cooperatives and MSMEs Development Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya.[Courtesy

A political storm is brewing within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the broad-based government, with Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya and a section of ODM MPs pushing for him to become President William Ruto’s running mate in the 2027 General Election.

The renewed political push has also exposed growing tensions within ODM, with Oparanya warning that he could leave the party if he is excluded from negotiations over a proposed UDA-ODM power-sharing arrangement.

Oparanya has insisted that ODM must secure an equal share of government in the event of a political pact with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), arguing that the party has invested heavily in the broad-based government.

The former Kakamega governor says he must be at the negotiating table when the two parties discuss the formation of the next government.

Oparanya has stepped up grassroots mobilisation while rallying a section of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leaders behind his bid.

During a series of political rallies in Kakamega County, Oparanya declared that he must be part of negotiations between ODM and the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) over the sharing of government positions after the 2027 elections.

The former Kakamega governor said he had invested heavily in ODM over the years and would not accept being excluded from discussions on the formation of the next government.

“I have said I must be on the negotiations table of power sharing with UDA in forming the next government because I have invested a lot in ODM, spiritually, time and resources, and if not I will have to leave ODM with my sizeable share,” Oparanya said.

Oparanya further revealed that President Ruto had engaged key regional leaders on how to streamline political alliances within the broad-based administration.

“When the President called us, he was clear: Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi sits on the UDA side, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula leads Ford-Kenya, and my duty is to strengthen ODM so that it takes us to our destination,” he said.

According to Oparanya, a 10-member team comprising five representatives from UDA and five from ODM has already been constituted to work on a power-sharing framework ahead of the 2027 polls.

“We must be in government and when we say we must be on the bargaining table this is because UDA and ODM are going to have a 50-50 power-sharing deal in the next government,” he said.

The remarks have effectively placed Oparanya at the centre of the emerging debate over who should occupy the Deputy President’s position should Ruto seek another term under a UDA-ODM arrangement.

Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera said ODM’s position was that any agreement with UDA must guarantee the party an equal share of power, including the Deputy President position if UDA fields Ruto as its presidential candidate.

“We reached an understanding with President Ruto that this administration must reflect a 50/50 arrangement. As ODM, our position is clear. If UDA brings the presidential candidate, we must produce the Deputy President. If UDA fields President William Ruto, ODM will present Wycliffe Oparanya as his running mate,” Nabwera said.

Butere MP Tindi Mwale, Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe and Khwisero MP Christopher Aseka echoed the calls, insisting that Western Kenya should not accept a peripheral role in national leadership.

Wangwe described Oparanya as the region’s political elder and backed his candidature for the Deputy President position.

“In Kakamega, Oparanya is like our political father and he has experience and what it takes to be Ruto’s running mate. We are fronting him to take up the position of running mate in the 2027 polls from ODM,” Wangwe said.

The renewed push for Oparanya comes as ODM seeks to consolidate its support base in Kakamega, following a period of political realignment in which some lawmakers previously associated with the party had moved closer to UDA and participated in the ruling party’s membership drives.

The MPs have now returned to the ODM fold, with the latest mobilisation efforts aimed at strengthening the party’s regional base ahead of the 2027 elections.

Oparanya has also rejected calls by some political actors for him to lead the formation of a new Luhya political party, arguing that ODM remains a stronger vehicle for the region’s political ambitions.

“I was approached with a section of MPs from Kakamega who were pressurising me to form our own Luhya party. I looked at where Ford-Kenya and DAP-K are in terms of strength and I told them that we have invested much in ODM,” he said.

“I decided that I will not leave the party but rather strengthen it to be part of the formation of the next government.”

However, Oparanya’s ambitions face resistance from within ODM, particularly in Kakamega, where Governor Fernandes Barasa has challenged his political strategy and questioned his commitment to uniting the party.

Barasa said Oparanya should first resolve internal divisions within ODM in Kakamega before seeking a national leadership position.

“If Oparanya is sincere with his course, he should first put the Kakamega ODM house and county in order by uniting it instead of tearing it further apart,” Barasa said.

The governor accused Oparanya of moving around with a faction of ODM lawmakers and deepening divisions within the party.

Barasa maintained that ODM in Kakamega remains under his control at the county level and that the party’s grassroots leadership should remain united.

“Charity begins at home and Oparanya cannot purport to be walking around with one group of lawmakers dividing the ODM party instead of strengthening it. In Kakamega, ODM is under my control and Oburu is our leader and we follow what he directs us,” he said.

The growing disagreement highlights the delicate political balancing act within ODM as the party weighs its relationship with the Ruto administration against its preparations for the 2027 elections.