Otiende urges swift UDA-ODM talks

ODM party leader Oburu Oginga served cake by President William Ruto at a past event. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

Concerns are now being raised over timelines to hold coalition talks between the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo has now called on President William Ruto and ODM Party Leader Oburu Oginga to hasten the process of constituting a team to spearhead the negotiation process.

Amollo, who is also the ODM national vice chairman, made the remarks even as he was concerned that a delay in setting up a negotiation framework could derail prospects for a joint process ahead of the General Elections, which is just about 16 months away.

Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

“By now, a clear team tasked with handling talks should have been put in place. The ODM Constitution provides strict timelines on coalition-building processes. The condition under Article 87 is that the agreement must be endorsed six months before the General Election,” Amollo explained.

He added: “Time is of the essence, as we are speaking now, we are barely 16 months to the next General election. Given the provision of Article 87 of our constitution, it means we only have one year to start campaigning one year before elections, we are only saying we have six months.”

The Rarieda MP has since cautioned that just about 10 months are available to hold negotiations, once internal processes and timelines are factored in.

Other than working out a deal, he said that political parties need ample time to popularise their candidate and agenda among voters, which he described as a critical exercise that requires quite some time to implement.

“Such a time may not be sufficient to both finalise talks and mount an effective nationwide campaign for a joint candidate, if an agreement is reached. My understanding is that the technical team would have by now laid down the basic ground for appointment of the negotiating committee,” he explained.

“The President and Oburu should agree on the composition of the negotiating team, both the number and names. Each party should also agree on the negotiating framework… the irreducible minimum and areas of compromise.”

The ODM constitution states that the National Executive Committee should appoint a Coalition Committee as a standing committee of the Party consisting of at least five but not more than nine members, provided that not more than two-thirds of the members shall not be of the same gender.

Similarly, it states that the Coalition Committee should develop a strategy in preparation for a possible coalition arrangement to be approved by the National Executive Committee at least six months before the next election.

During the ODM National Delegates Conference held last month, Oburu affirmed that he would lead in initiating the process of structured negotiations with Ruto’s party and other like-minded parties on a possible pre-election coalition agreement.

Oburu said the party will engage in negotiations with like-minded political formations ahead of the 2027 polls, arguing that ODM’s path to power lies in strategic coalitions.

He said ODM is also exploring possible discussions with the ruling UDA over a power-sharing arrangement, assuring supporters that the party’s 10-point agenda will be reviewed and fully implemented.