Kisii senator Richard Onyonka has questioned his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party’s terms of engagement for joining President William Ruto’s broad-based government.
Onyonka promised to put up a fight, noting that they were kept in the dark concerning Ruto’s decision to co-opt the opposition into government.
“This is how we have broken our country slowly and skillfully! Some of us will stand to be counted! I expected ODM to give the conditions why they are joining the government. They haven’t, so all shall move as it was before,” Onyonka said.
The remarks come after Ruto named four ODM leaders to serve in various capacities in his proposed government after dissolving his cabinet on July 11, 2024.
In a heated debate in parliament on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma intimated that Raila had forwarded a list of potential nominees for cabinet positions to Ruto.
This came amid contradicting remarks by the party’s Secretary General, Edwin Sifuna, saying that the ODM party was not negotiating with the Kenya Kwanza government for any coalition or political arrangement.
Sifuna went ahead to warn members of the ODM party against considering CS nominations after it emerged some of them were canvassing for the positions.
Sifuna warned that members planning to consider the positions would be doing so in their own capacities and not the party’s.
So far, ODM has received four nominations for the proposed broad-based government by Ruto.
The nominations include Opiyo Wandayi for the position of CS for energy, Hassan Joho for Mining and Blue Economy CS, John Mbadi for Treasury and National Planning, and Wycliffe Oparanya for CS cooperatives.
Onyonka fights on
Onyonka has promised to stand up to be counted moments after Narc-Kenya party leader Martha Karua vowed to fight on after Ruto nominated the four ODM leaders to his cabinet.
“Let every person stand by the courage of their convictions, #AlutaContinua,” Karua said.
The nominations come after Azimio la Umoja co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka maintained that the coalition would not accept the invitation to join the Kenya Kwanza government.
The split pits affiliate members of the Azimio coalition against the ODM party, which is seen to have covertly reached out to Ruto and given him a list of members to be considered for cabinet positions.
On July 17, 2024, Kalonzo said that the Azimio coalition would not allow their members to join the broad-based government.
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