As political negotiations between the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) continue, Homa Bay Town Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Kaluma has outlined key conditions that the party insists must be met for any agreement to succeed.

Addressing the media on Sunday, January 1, 2026, Kaluma said that while ODM is open to discussions aimed at forming a strong pre-election coalition, the party will maintain its distinct identity and political autonomy throughout the process.

“Once we are done with those negotiations, and I hope they end well, we will go into a pre-election coalition so that we have a strong voice in the government that will be formed. If we don’t agree, then we will run for elections as ODM,” Kaluma said.

Kaluma’s preconditions for UDA-ODM talks

He emphasised two critical preconditions for the negotiations.

First, Kaluma claims that ODM must remain a distinct and separate political party in Kenya even after entering a deal with the ruling UDA party.

Second, Kaluma says the party’s bases and strongholds must be reinforced and left intact. According to the ODM lawmaker, this means zoning and allocation of seats must respect ODM’s territorial and political strongholds.

He went ahead to argue that breach of any of the preconditions will make the ODM party fault the agreement with UDA and collapse the negotiations.

“The conditions that we have given Dr Oburu Odinga and the team that will be involved in those negotiations, including myself as a lawyer, are, number one, that ODM will always remain distinct and a separate political party in Kenya. Number two is that the bases and strongholds of the ODM party must be reinforced and left for the ODM party, so zoning is going to occur, and for any breach of those preconditions, we will fault the agreement and collapse the negotiations,” he said.

“We are saying this because you need numbers in terms of elected leadership as a party to have a voice before elections and even after the elections if you are to demand anything.”

Governor Wanga’s demands

As Kaluma sets the preconditions, the ODM party has openly laid out its expectations in the ongoing political talks with President William Ruto’s UDA.

Speaking on Sunday, February 1, 2026, during a roadside rally in Dandora, Nairobi County, ODM national chairperson Gladys Wanga said the Orange party had mandated its leader, Oburu Odinga, to engage President Ruto in dialogue aimed at forging a balanced political arrangement.

Wanga stressed that ODM was not seeking token inclusion but a fair 50/50 stake in national leadership.

“Sisi kama ODM tumesema hivi, Dr Oburu Odinga aingie katika mazungumzo na President William Ruto, wasikizane, ile ng’ombe ikatwe katitaki ODM ichukue nusu, UDA ichukue nusu,” Wanga said.