10/08/2026
President William Ruto said Monday that his ruling United Democratic Alliance and the Orange Democratic Movement had agreed to establish two joint committees, a move that signals an effort to turn Kenya’s broad-based governing arrangement into a more formal political alliance ahead of the August 2027 general election.
The two parties will each appoint five members to a committee tasked with drafting a joint manifesto and another five-member team to develop a framework for a coalition agreement, according to Mr. Ruto.
The announcement followed a three-day retreat in Naivasha, Nakuru County, attended by 312 members of Parliament, 48 senators, 24 governors and 24 deputy governors from the two political formations.
Mr. Ruto described the committees as a way of formalizing the partnership between his administration and the party led by Oburu Oginga, the elder brother of the late opposition leader Raila Odinga. He said the alliance would seek to consolidate the government's record, complete reforms already underway and develop a common political program for the next phase of Kenya's development.
But the formation of the committees also gives the partnership a distinctly electoral dimension. With the 2027 election approaching, the two parties are moving from an arrangement forged in Parliament to a structure that could eventually determine how they campaign, share power and present themselves to voters.
Mr. Ruto framed the process as an effort to build on the mandate Kenyans gave his government, while acknowledging that some of its promises remain unfinished. The language appeared designed to present the emerging alliance not as a new political bargain, but as a continuation of the administration's existing agenda.
The next test will be whether the two parties can translate their cooperation into a coherent manifesto and coalition agreement — and persuade voters that the partnership offers more than an electoral strategy for retaining political power in 2027.
