Embakasi North Member of Parliament (MP) James Gakuya has claimed that the growing political cooperation between the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is largely driven by President William Ruto’s quest to secure support ahead of the 2027 general election.

Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Gakuya argued that the initiative to strengthen ties between UDA and ODM is primarily coming from the president, who he said is keen on consolidating political alliances as he prepares for a re-election bid.

Ruto to gain more

According to the lawmaker, the political dynamics surrounding the cooperation show that the Head of State stands to gain more from the partnership than ODM.

“From the beginning, he was the one who started calling the shots,” Gakuya said.

“He was very categorical during the burial of the late Raila Odinga that he would not allow anyone to destroy the unity of ODM. He repeated that he was a member of ODM.”

Gakuya posed a rhetorical question about the motivations behind the cooperation between the two parties.

“Today, is it ODM that needs UDA, or is it the president that needs ODM more?” he said.

“My answer is the President is the one who is looking for a re-election, and therefore in this particular business he is the one looking massively to ensure that, at the tail end, he secures the unity between UDA and ODM.”

The Embakasi North MP likened the relationship between the two parties to a political marriage, suggesting that the side seeking the partnership is the one taking the lead.

“As much as the ODM party leader is concerned, he is not the one playing that first fiddle,” Gakuya said.

“The one marrying is the one to play the first fiddle, and in this case, it is William Ruto who is marrying.”

Broad-based negotiating team

Gakuya’s remarks come a day after Ruto proposed the formation of a broad-based negotiating team to oversee the full implementation of the joint UDA-ODM agenda.

Speaking during the ODM-UDA Joint Broad-based Parliament Group Meeting on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, Ruto said that the broad-based team comprises members from both parliaments.

The proposal comes as the partnership between the ruling outfit and ODM marks its first anniversary.

“We will be recommending in this PG that we have a broad-based negotiating team comprising members from both parliaments,” Ruto said.

While the “broad-based” government was initially formed to stabilise the country following the 2024 protests, the new team is tasked with shifting the focus from crisis management to a long-term legislative and developmental roadmap.

According to Ruto, the broad-based team has numbers to drive it through both houses of parliament, and therefore, if they decide, the parliament will automatically decide.