Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has defended his recent political agreement with President William Ruto, asserting that it was Ruto who approached him, not the other way around.

Speaking at the burial of Lewis Wilkinson Kimani Waiyaki on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, Raila addressed the growing criticism from some of his supporters who feel betrayed by his newfound cooperation with the government.

“Many people are making noise here and there that Raila has gone to Ruto, that I have abandoned them. I have not gone to Ruto; he came to me,” Odinga stated.

The veteran opposition leader maintained that his core principles remain unchanged despite the new political arrangement.

“I have remained steadfast; my stance has not changed. The most important thing since I was born until now is that I have been fighting for the rights of all Kenyans,” he said.

Raila referenced the protests that his coalition led last year, highlighting the issues they raised about the cost of living, election transparency, corruption, and tribalism.

“We all went out to the streets fighting for Kenyans, saying the cost of living had risen. We demanded that the servers be opened, we said corruption had increased and tribalism had worsened. Didn’t we say all those things?” he asked.

He noted that the formation of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) stemmed from those protests, and emphasized that the critical issues raised during that period remain unresolved, forming the basis of his current agreement with President Ruto.

“We have said that sensitive issues remain unaddressed until they are resolved. But they cannot be resolved if people do not come together to talk and look at how things should be,” Raila explained.

The opposition leader suggested that the government’s willingness to engage with him came from a position of vulnerability.

“That is why these fellows, when they were caught in the cold, came to our side, and I said let’s make all these corrections. You have seen what we have written – all ten items are what we have been demanding, and they have promised to fulfil them,” he said.

Raila urged Kenyans to give the agreement a chance, emphasizing that the opposition’s core demands had been acknowledged in the document signed with Ruto’s administration.

He asserted that the agreement provides an opportunity for reform ahead of the next general election.

“Now we say we are giving them an opportunity to make corrections. The election will come in 2027, and citizens will decide for themselves. But from here until then, we don’t want our citizens to continue suffering,” he stated.

Ruto-Raila pact

On Friday, March 7, 2025, President Ruto and Raila Odinga signed a framework agreement aimed at establishing collaboration between the Kenya Kwanza coalition and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party in government.

The agreement, titled “Understanding to Resolve the Social and Political Challenges Facing Kenyans,” seeks to address ten key issues affecting the Kenyan population.

This pact aims to expedite the full implementation of the NADCO report, promote inclusivity in public life, strengthen devolution, protect the livelihoods of young people, uphold leadership and integrity, safeguard the right to peaceful assembly and protest, tackle the national debt, combat corruption, eliminate public resource wastage, enhance government efficiency, and protect the sovereignty of the people, the rule of law, and constitutionalism.

Betrayal

Speaking on March 7, 2025, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka described Raila’s union with Ruto as the biggest betrayal of Kenyans.

“What has come out of KICC today is the biggest betrayal of Kenyans. The People’s Loyal Coalition will never betray Kenyans for temporary comfort,” Kalonzo stated.

He pointed out that Raila would be betraying Kenyans if he fails to advocate for compensation for those killed and injured during the Finance Bill protests.

“If out of what they are signing at KICC, they do not come with a formula on how to address the injustice meted on Kenyans on June 25 and 2023 that will be betrayal in the city. Handshake or no handshake, Ruto must go.”

In a statement on Monday, March 10, 2025, Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni also termed Raila’s pact with Ruto a betrayal of Kenyans and his Azimio coalition partners.

“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 Jubilee felt particularly let down because Raila’s actions contradicted his previous commitments 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.