President William Ruto, on Monday, March 10, 2025, embarked on a mission to popularise his new pact with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

The head of state toured various places, starting from Kamkunji and going the way to Eastleigh, which are traditionally considered as Raila’s strongholds.

Addressing a mammoth crowd in Eastleigh, Nairobi, took a rather imploring tone to convince the people to back the newly established partnership between the United Democratic Alliance and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

Ruto requested Kenyans to accept the pact, noting that it was key to unlocking development and accelerating national cohesion.

He further indicated that the framework would enable the government to redirect all its energies towards improving the economy and creating more employment opportunities for the young people.

“Nimekuja kwa heshima kubwa kuwauliza watu wa Nairobi na Kenya kwa ujumla.. Waswahili wanasema umoja ni nguvu kutengana ni udhaifu. Nawauliza kwa unyenyekevu mkubali tuungane (I have come here to request you Nairobi residents and Kenyans at large… as the phrase goes, in unity there is strength, so I want to ask you with a lot of humility to accept our unity),” Ruto pleaded.

“Tuungane ndio tukabiliane na changamoto za Kenya? Tuungane ndio tuvalishe chakula zaidi tuondoe njaa, tuimarishe uchumi zaidi tupate kazi kwa vijana, tupangane zaidi tupate export ya Kutosha? (Should we unite to deal with challenges facing the country? Should we unite so that we ensure mass production to eliminate hunger, boost our economy, create more employment opportunities and increase export ratio?)” Ruto posed amid wild cheers from the crowd okaying his message.

“Juzi tumekubaliana na Raila Odinga tukasema tuunganishe Kenya… Nairobi mnasema tuungane ama? Katika muungano huo hakun jamii, sehemu ya Kenya na dini itawachwa nyuma (The other day we agreed with Raila to unite Kenya, Nairobi do you support the unity? In this unity, no community, part of the country or even religion would be left behind),” he insisted.

Inside the deal

After a series of consultations, Ruto and Raila convened at KICC and signed a framework of cooperation. During the signing, the parties agreed to address key issues which they argued were bedeviling the country.

On top of the agenda was the implementation of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report, which had recommended the establishment of the office of the Prime Minister and empowering that of the leader of opposition.

The pact emphasized the need to promote inclusivity, a principle enshrined in Article 27 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality and freedom from discrimination.

The pact committed to strengthening accountability mechanisms to combat corruption and ensure ethical leadership.

Both sides also agreed to call for the compensation of protest victims and guarantee rights and freedoms of demonstration.

They also called for the audit of the national debt.