With just days to the November 27 Malava by-election, ODM has moved to assert its place within the broad-based government, declaring that the party has no intention of withdrawing from its cooperation pact with President William Ruto.

Kakamega Governor and county ODM chairman Fernandez Barasa used a campaign stop at Friends Church Malava to reaffirm the party’s position, insisting that speculation about an imminent exit from government was misplaced and should be ignored as voters head to the polls.

Barasa, who is seeking a second term in 2027, said the late ODM party leader Raila Odinga intentionally positioned the party inside government through the agreement he reached with President Ruto—an arrangement that saw several ODM leaders appointed to Cabinet and senior government positions. These include Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives), John Mbadi (Finance), Opiyo Wandayi (Energy) and Hassan Joho (Mining) in the administration that later morphed into the broad-based government.

According to Barasa, the partnership has not weakened ODM but strengthened it, with more gains expected as the political relationship matures.

He told residents that ODM was firmly aligned with UDA in the Malava contest, rallying support for the UDA candidate David Ndakwa, whom he hopes will clinch the parliamentary seat next week.

“We are strategically placed to support David Ndakwa for the Malava seat, and after that we will be gearing to ensure that in 2027 both me and Ruto are re-elected as second-term governor and president respectively,” he said.

Barasa urged Malava voters to remain loyal to the government side, noting that the constituency had historically aligned with the ruling administration.

He cautioned residents to guard their votes on election day, alleging that attempts may be made to disrupt the process by groups hired from Mt. Elgon and Trans Nzoia. He called on security agencies to ensure a fair and transparent by-election.

“As campaigns end, security must remain vigilant to protect the integrity of the vote,” he said.