Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni has expressed disappointment over Raila Odinga’s decision to engage in negotiations and sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU)with President William Ruto without involving the entire Azimio la Umoja – One Kenyacoalition.

Speaking during an interview on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, Kioni emphasized that the negotiations should have included all parties within the coalition rather than being limited to Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

“How I wish he was carrying the whole of Azimio into this negotiation and not just take one party and start negotiating it alone,” he lamented.

He further criticized Ruto, accusing him of disregarding multiparty democracy in the country by not engaging all the parties that formed the Azimio coalition in the discussions.

“How I wish William Ruto had the respect for multiparty democracy and the parties that constituted that coalition and engaged all of them so that we say we are now headed to stagnation as a country,” he added.

Kioni on Raila-Ruto pact

This is not the first time Kioni has voiced his opinion on Raila -Ruto political collaboration, on Monday, March 10, 2025, he raised concerns over how the deal was reached, suggesting it disregarded established protocols within the Azimio coalition.

“This is quite a level of betrayal not just to us but to Kenyans who entrusted the law that they gave to us when we put ourselves together as Azimio,” Kioni stated.

He explained that the Jubilee Party felt particularly let down, as Raila’s actions contradicted his prior claims of remaining fully committed to Azimio.  

“As Jubilee, we also feel betrayed because once you are in an agreement and there is a way of managing the agreement, you know the other parties have been saying that we have left Azimio and they do it through the form of arrangement,” he added.

Kioni emphasized that while Azimio remains a legally registered coalition, Raila’s collaboration with Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) signifies his formal exit from the coalition.

“Azimio is a grouping that was put together through a legal document, a legal document that was registered with the relevant registry, and the exit of one does not mean the end of the grouping,” Kioni explained.

“Raila was the Party leader of Azimio because it is a coalition, not a political party. And he is getting into a coalition agreement with UDA legally, which means he has exited Azimio,” he added.