Ruto, Raila meet for ODM–Kenya Kwanza parliamentary group discussions
By Kenneth Mwenda, August 18, 2025President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga are jointly chairing a high-profile Kenya Kwanza–ODM Parliamentary Group meeting today, Monday, August, 18, 2025, at the KCB Leadership Centre in Karen, Nairobi.
The session brings together legislators from both coalitions under the framework of the broad-based government arrangement.
The gathering aims to strengthen national unity, coordinate joint policies, and assess progress on the 10-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two parties in March. Lawmakers will also deliberate on issues critical to national development, including support for communities affected by recent unrest.
“On Monday, we are going to have a broad-based government meeting between lawmakers from ODM and Kenya Kwanza to agree on strong mechanisms to unite the country and push it forward,” President Ruto said on Thursday, August 14, 2025, in Migori during a meeting with grassroots leaders.
He added:
“We agreed to work together to create a country that is for every Kenyan and to come up with policies that bring in more income to our nation.”
National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed confirmed the focus of the meeting, highlighting plans to review the work of a five-member technical committee tasked with overseeing the implementation of the MoU. The technical committee overseeing the MoU is chaired by Agnes Zani and includes Fatuma Ibrahim, Kevin Kiarie, Gabriel Oguda, and Javas Bigambo.
Secretariat oversees MoU progress
A joint secretariat, co-led by executive secretaries from UDA and ODM, supports the committee, ensuring the MoU’s rollout involves extensive consultations with government departments, independent commissions, civil society, religious institutions, and the private sector. The initiative aims to reflect the diverse perspectives and aspirations of all Kenyans.
The committee has already begun its work and is expected to submit progress reports to the principals every two months, with quarterly updates presented to the Kenya Kwanza–ODM Parliamentary Group.
The meeting also comes ahead of upcoming by-elections, which will test the new partnership between the two parties, while providing direction on key national policies, including strategies for accelerating development and promoting cohesion across the country.