President William Ruto and Oburu Odinga have unveiled a broad-based management committee to strengthen cooperation between the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) parties.
The formation of the management committee was reached on Thursday, April 23, during a consultative meeting between UDA and ODM officials at State House in Nairobi.
According to a statement by the State House, members of the committee will comprise selected Cabinet ministers, party leadership, and Majority and Minority leaders in Parliament.
“The two party leaders have agreed to establish a Broad-Based Management Committee comprising the party leaders, selected Cabinet Ministers, and the Majority and Minority Leaders in Parliament,” read part of a statement.
The committee will be tasked with coordinating and synchronising the legislative and executive agenda of the government to ensure coherence, efficiency, and effective service delivery.
In a key resolution, the meeting mandated the respective party chairpersons to continue structured and regular consultations across party organs.
During the meeting, Ruto and Oburu reaffirmed their commitment to constructive dialogue, unity of purpose, and a shared national vision.
While it remains to be seen how the committee will undertake its activities, today’s talks set the stage for high-stakes deliberations for a broad-based agreement between the two parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It is anticipated that the special committee will address several issues affecting both parties, particularly the contentious zoning, which has sparked a rift between some ODM and UDA officials.
In particular, a section of ODM officials noted that the coalition partners will soon agree not to field candidates against each other in specific electoral regions to avoid internal competition.
The zoning debate has, in recent days, exposed growing political fallout within ODM and raised questions over the stability of the broad-based coalition arrangements ahead of 2027.
