Ruto: ODM will form or be part of the next government

President William Ruto on Sunday declared that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, whose leader, Raila Odinga, died last week, will either form the next government or be part of it.

Speaking during the former Prime Minister’s burial ceremony at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology in Siaya County, Ruto said his government would continue to work closely with ODM in honour of Odinga’s legacy and belief in multi-party democracy.

“I assure ODM members that we will support them, because Baba believed in the multiplicity of parties,” the President said.

“The strength of ODM matters to me because it is how we are going to have a strong democracy. ODM will either form the next government or be a part of the next government.”

He vowed to protect the party’s role in Kenya’s political landscape, warning against attempts to weaken or isolate it.

“What I will not accept, in honour of Odinga, is people playing with ODM to make it an alienated opposition party,” Ruto said.

‘STUDENT OF ODINGA’

The President described Odinga as both a mentor and a teacher, saying he considered himself one of his political students.

“I echo Mama Ida’s words that Raila was not just an engineer, but a political engineer,” he said, referencing Odinga’s widow’s earlier speech. “Among his many political students is I. He has mentored me.”

Reflecting on their long political journey, the President recalled meeting Odinga in 1997 when both were Members of Parliament, saying their relationship evolved from rivalry to mutual respect.

“It did not matter who would win in the 2022 presidential election because it was a race between a teacher and his student,” Ruto said.

“I would have been at peace if he won; his plans for housing, healthcare, and education were as good as mine.”

The President said after the elections, he reached out to Odinga and offered to work with him to honour his lifelong contributions to the country.

“I told him I had no problem with him running again in 2027, but in the meantime, as his student, I wanted to right the wrongs done to him,” Ruto said.

He said his inclusion of ODM members in his administration in the wake of mid-last year’s deadly youth-led anti-government protests was a gesture of goodwill and unity.

“Baba did not give me any conditions about it; I am the one who offered the Cabinet Secretary posts, and he gave me leaders like John Mbadi to serve in key ministries such as Finance,” Ruto said.

The President praised Odinga’s lifelong commitment to Kenya’s progress and democracy, saying he remained deeply concerned about the pace of national development.

“Raila was concerned about the pace of Kenya’s development, often citing countries like Singapore and Malaysia. We had extensive discussions in the last three months about how to accelerate our growth,” Ruto said.

Odinga, who died on Wednesday in India aged 80, was laid to rest next to his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and his mother, Mary Ajuma's graves at Kang’o ka Jaramogi in Bondo, late Sunday afternoon.

In the meantime, Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga, Odinga’s elder brother, has been appointed ODM’s acting leader.

A National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Thursday unanimously agreed that Oginga take over until the committee meets again to chart the way forward.