President William Ruto has moved to ease rising tensions within the broad-based government, pledging to rein in allies accused of fuelling divisions between the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Speaking during his tour of the Gusii region, the President blamed unnamed “underhand forces” for stoking conflict within the alliance and vowed to safeguard the partnership beyond the 2027 General Election.
“I will stop those trying to create conflict between UDA and ODM,” Dr Ruto said.
His intervention comes amid growing unease within ODM, where some leaders have accused UDA of exploiting the arrangement to weaken the party. Concerns have also emerged that planned coalition talks may have stalled due to deepening mistrust.
The tensions were heightened by remarks from National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, who warned that ODM could withdraw from the arrangement, alleging that state machinery was being used to pressure ODM legislators to defect to UDA.
Within ODM, divisions have since surfaced, with some MPs distancing themselves from Mr Mohamed’s position, while party chairperson Gladys Wanga has maintained that ODM must protect its political interests.
An ODM Central Management Committee meeting, initially scheduled earlier, has been postponed to Thursday, with officials citing the unavailability of members.
At the same time, Kisii Governor Simba Arati urged the President to address internal wrangles threatening the coalition.
“We will continue partnering with UDA as instructed by Baba Raila. But there is a problem from the UDA side. The friendly fire can hurt our union,” he said.
Despite the tensions, Dr Ruto defended his decision to form the broad-based government, maintaining that it was aimed at fostering unity and stability following political realignments.
However, differing views persist within ODM ranks. While some lawmakers see continued cooperation with UDA as strategically beneficial, others insist the party must preserve its traditional support base ahead of the next election.
Meanwhile, calls are growing for structured dialogue to resolve the dispute, with MPs urging the formation of a negotiating team to address contentious issues and stabilise the partnership.
As disagreements linger, the future of the UDA–ODM alliance remains uncertain, with both sides under pressure to either reconcile or redefine their political relationship ahead of 2027.
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