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Ruto summons UDA MPs to State House
President William Ruto addressing the media on the retreat of the extended bureau on the implementation of the institutional reforms of the African Union at the State House Nairobi on Monday, January 27, 2025.
What you need to know:
- Nation has also established that the President seeks to use the platform to rally his UDA party to back his plans to work with opposition leader Raila Odinga in a ‘cooperation arrangement’ with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
- The meeting is also likely to firm up the proposed leadership of committees in the National Assembly. The House on Wednesday adopted the list of the newly constituted committee members that seeks to align with the broad-based government that President Ruto and Mr Odinga have struck.
President William Ruto has summoned his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) legislators to the State House for a Parliamentary Group (PG) meeting on Friday morning.
A text message by National Assembly Majority Whip Sylvanus Osoro to the MPs indicates that the President will first have breakfast with the members before holding a PG.
Nation has also established that the President seeks to use the platform to rally his UDA party to back his plans to work with opposition leader Raila Odinga in a ‘cooperation arrangement’ with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
The meeting is also likely to firm up the proposed leadership of committees in the National Assembly. The House on Wednesday adopted the list of the newly constituted committee members that seeks to align with the broad-based government that President Ruto and Mr Odinga have struck.
“Colleagues, H.E the President Dr.WSR invites you all for breakfast in STATEHOUSE Nairobi at exactly 7am, and thereafter a PG meeting at the same venue. Please keep time,” the text message reads.
The PG comes amid reports of possible major changes at the Cabinet and Principal Secretary levels as the President seeks to accommodate more allies of Mr Odinga.
This even as Dr Ruto’s UDA and Mr Odinga’s ODM prepare to sign a political pact, which sources said could happen anytime soon.
Loyalty, performance, and the desire to create a new alliance for the purposes of 2027 re-election are said to be at the heart of the planned reshuffle. President Ruto has openly indicated his desire to have Mr Odinga on his side for his 2027 re-election bid, a scenario that could influence those to be appointed to serve as PSs.
In the planned reshuffle, Dr Ruto is not only seeking to take care of new partners from ODM but also to ensure that those who remain after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s ouster have no questionable loyalty to him.
UDA’s National Steering Committee –a top organ of the ruling party on Wednesday held a closed-door meeting, which was largely expected to discuss the possible cooperation with ODM.
But Secretary-General Hassan Omar told Nation that the talks with ODM were being done remotely elsewhere and were not a subject of the party organ’s deliberations.
He said the meeting’s main agenda was to ratify the dissolution of the Amani National Congress (ANC) associated with Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
“By law, when a party dissolves, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) writes to the party (it is dissolving to join) to agree if they are ready to inherit both assets and liabilities of the dissolved party.
There must be a meeting of a party organ to make such a decision. So we met to ratify the dissolution of the ANC. We were also ratifying the decision to have ANC officials hold new positions in UDA and also to finalize other processes like onboarding ANC staff,” said Mr Omar.
He noted that although there was a general desire for UDA and ODM to enter a pact as soon as possible, there was a need to allow Mr Odinga to conclude his nationwide consultations for the party members to embrace the deal.
“Talks between ODM and UDA are being done remotely. There is a desire to move fast, but we have to respect Raila’s decision to consult widely so that the arrangement can receive the necessary support from the rank and file of ODM,” he said.
Mr Odinga had last week announced his plans to consult widely with his friends and supporters before making a political move on whether to work with President Ruto or not.
“I am back home, I am going to meet my friends, my supporters, and I am going to consult widely. In due course, we are going to announce a way forward. I just want to say watch this space I will be talking again,” said Mr Odinga, when he was hosted by President Ruto at State House, Mombasa.