- Kisii Governor Simba Arati likened the incorporation to borrowing utility players from a rival to steady a team.
- The ODM deputy party leaders vowed to traverse the country to popularize the party ahead of the next general election.
Image: FILE
Two senior Raila Odinga’s ODM party officials have revealed that the Orange outfit will field a presidential candidate to challenge President William Ruto in 2027.
This is the first-ever 2027 pronouncement by ODM leaders since some of its senior members joined President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government weeks ago.
On Saturday, Governors Simba Arati(Kisii) and Abdulswamad Nassir (Mombasa) stated that the ODM party does not intend to back President Ruto’s re-election.
The two said, instead, the ODM party will challenge Ruto at the ballot, denying reports that the outfit was working on a coalition deal ahead of the 2027 polls.
“I am telling President Ruto that ODM will have a candidate on the ballot in 2027,” Arati said on Saturday.
There have been reports that President Ruto and Raila could copple up a 2027 machine for the head of state's reelection bid following the formation of a broad-based government.
However, Arati said Ruto’s decision to co-opt ODM leaders in his Cabinet should not mean a political deal ahead of the 2027 polls.
He likened the incorporation to borrowing utility players from a rival to steady a team.
“Today, Kenya has sent her police officers to Haiti. But that does not mean we have stopped being Kenyans and become citizens of Haiti. The same situation applies here,” Arati said.
Arati and Abdulswamad are Raila’s deputy party leaders in ODM alongside Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi.
Arati had been serving as the ODM national vice chairperson before his elevation.
On Saturday, the Kisii County boss insisted that the party will soon launch aggressive campaigns to activate its grassroots ahead of the 2027 polls.
The governor said Raila agreed to donate some of his 'experts' to the government to rescue the country.
He said Kenya was teetering on the brink of collapse during anti-government protests that rocked the country for two months.
“Kenya wasn’t going to be a country with stable government anymore had ODM failed take action. We saved President Ruto and not joined his government,” Arati said.
Raila had said he released his ‘experts’ Wycliffe Oparanya, Hassan Joho, John Mbadi Opiyo Wandayi and Beatice Askul to join the Cabinet and help Ruto deliver.
Speaking during a rally in Oyugis town in Kasipul constituency, Abdulswamad said the ODM party is not in a coalition with the government.
“Let it be clear that there is no coalition agreement between ODM and UDA. We were just rescuing the government from a looming downfall,” Nasir said.
The ODM deputy party leaders vowed to traverse the country to popularize the party ahead of the next general election.
“We continue strengthening ODM to enable it to form the next government,” Nasir said.