The Orange Democratic Movement’s (ODM) Linda Mwananchi faction has rejected a report jointly presented by President William Ruto and ODM leader Oburu Oginga on the implementation of a 10-point political cooperation agenda, terming it superficial, misleading, and detached from reality.
Addressing journalists in Nairobi on Wednesday, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna dismissed the document unveiled during a joint parliamentary group meeting between the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and ODM’s ‘Linda Ground’ faction as a “charade” meant to deceive the public into believing that the political pact’s commitments had been met.
“The report is a charade meant to hoodwink the public into believing that the memorandum of understanding has been implemented when it is obvious to all Kenyans that nothing could be further from the truth,” Sifuna said, referring to the cooperation framework forged between President Ruto and the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The 10-point agenda, largely drawn from the recommendations of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO), was intended to address key national issues such as electoral reforms, the cost of living, governance, and police accountability.
Sifuna said confusion during Tuesday’s meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) exposed deep divisions within the political alliance. He cited contradictions over the status of the agreement after President Ruto announced a 60-day extension of the committee’s mandate, despite earlier claims by other leaders that the pact had no time limits.
He further argued that the ODM parliamentary group lacked the constitutional authority to extend the agreement’s mandate, insisting that only the party’s National Executive Committee could make such a decision. “The purported extension is therefore ultra vires, unconstitutional, null and void,” he said.
In response, members of the Linda Mwananchi faction unveiled what they called a “people’s report,” offering an alternative assessment of progress on the cooperation agenda. Suba South MP Caroli Omondi ridiculed the official report, likening it to a “mini-skirt” — short on substance but designed to attract attention.
“A miniskirt should be long enough to cover the subject matter but short enough to arouse interest,” Omondi quipped. “What was launched yesterday is extremely short on substance.”
Omondi said their report was based on surveys, public consultations, and reviews of parliamentary and government records, providing what he described as an independent and factual evaluation of the pact’s implementation. He noted that several key issues remain unresolved, including the audit of the 2022 presidential election technology systems.
He added that Kenyans should measure government performance not through official statistics but through their daily economic experiences. “The fundamental question is: are Kenyans better off today than they were three years ago? The answer is no,” he said.
The lawmakers emphasized that their efforts were driven by a commitment to safeguard Raila Odinga’s political legacy, warning against attempts to distort his record. “We are here to defend Baba’s legacy and ensure that political fraud is not committed on Kenyans in his name,” Omondi said.
Leave a Reply