President William Ruto has stepped up efforts to consolidate the broad-based political partnership in Nairobi, hosting about 1,500 grassroots leaders and political aspirants drawn from the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). The meeting at State House, Nairobi, brought together elected leaders, grassroots mobilisers and aspirants from the two political formations in what is emerging as an early attempt to harmonise their political structures, coordinate campaigns and establish a joint strategy for capturing the capital.
The engagement comes at a critical moment for the two parties following a series of political realignments that have reshaped the contest for Nairobi's gubernatorial seat. Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja recently moved from UDA to ODM, while Kasarani MP Ronald Karauri abandoned his independent status for the ruling party. Both parties are keen to translate their cooperation at the national level into electoral gains in Nairobi, a cosmopolitan county whose voting patterns have historically been difficult for any single political formation to control.
During the meeting, President Ruto was accompanied by ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga and National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, among other senior political figures. The President challenged the leaders to combine their political networks and grassroots structures to ensure the partnership delivers victory in the capital, with particular emphasis on strengthening mobilisation down to polling-station level. The strategy is expected to involve pooling together the two parties' existing political networks, identifying areas of strength and weaknesses and coordinating activities ahead of the election.
UDA and ODM are banking on their combined political influence, organisational structures and networks to challenge any possible opposition's efforts to win the city’s 2,743,155 votes, where the two parties have traditionally competed against each other. In a statement following the meeting, UDA expressed confidence that the partnership would deliver a decisive victory in Nairobi City County in 2027. The ruling party linked the political cooperation to what it described as an Sh80 billion cooperation package and the national government's development record in the capital.
The meeting further exposed the competing ambitions within the broad-based arrangement, with the two parties introducing individuals positioning themselves for the Nairobi gubernatorial contest. Mr Sakaja and Makadara MP George Aladwa were introduced as ODM's potential gubernatorial candidates, while Mr Karauri, who recently joined UDA, was presented as the ruling party's candidate for the same seat. The presence of the three politicians at the meeting illustrates the complicated electoral calculations facing the broad-based partnership.
Ms Wanga said the meeting was primarily intended to align the two parties and develop a common strategy for winning Nairobi, dismissing suggestions that the discussions had already ventured into the distribution of elective positions. She said the immediate priority was to bring together the political structures of UDA and ODM and establish a working relationship ahead of the next election. The ODM chairperson indicated that the question of zoning would be addressed at a later stage.
The distribution of elective positions in Nairobi is likely to complicate negotiations should the broad-based partners agree to zone the county by party. In the 2022 General Election, ODM secured the Senate seat through Edwin Sifuna and the Nairobi Woman Representative position through Esther Passaris, while UDA captured the gubernatorial seat through Mr Sakaja. The outcome of the zoning negotiations will be crucial in determining the future of the UDA-ODM partnership in Nairobi.
Key points
- President Ruto hosts 1,500 Nairobi delegates from UDA and ODM to strategize for the 2027 General Election.
- The partnership between UDA and ODM aims to translate their cooperation at the national level into electoral gains in Nairobi.
- The distribution of elective positions in Nairobi is likely to complicate negotiations between UDA and ODM.
