Sakaja said he is consulting with relevant parties and supporters before making a final decision, adding that there has been growing pressure from ODM officials and members for him to join the party.
“There has been that call. Some officials and party members have said that they want me to move to their party,” Sakaja said during a local radio interview on Wednesday.
Sakaja links ODM talks to Raila
The Nairobi governor said his possible move to ODM has also been influenced by his close relationship with the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, whom he described as being like a father to him.
Sakaja said he and Raila had maintained close contact before his death and that joining ODM had been something the former opposition leader wanted to see happen.
“In October, we will be marking one year since Raila left us and we were very close, he was like my father, and he also wanted that. We were in touch a lot before his death,” he said.
Despite confirming that discussions are ongoing, Sakaja stressed that he has not made a final decision on when he would leave UDA.
“There is no official date for when we will leave UDA, but the call is there. It is something I am observing, we must also look at what people are saying. If that's what they want then I am their employee,” he said.
His comments could further complicate UDA's political position in Nairobi, where the party faces growing competition from opposition and allied political formations.
Gachagua welcomes possible Sakaja exit
Sakaja's remarks came a day after Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua criticised UDA's influence in Nairobi and appeared to welcome reports that the governor could leave the ruling party.
Gachagua claimed that President William Ruto was losing key political allies, including Sakaja.
“UDA is done. I hear Sakaja wants to move to ODM led by Oburu. We wish you the best. And even the ODM has nothing. It is a shell,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua was speaking while receiving a group of politicians and officials who had defected from UDA, Jubilee and other political parties, among them Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan.
Sakaja's potential move to ODM would represent a significant political realignment in Nairobi and could have wider implications for the emerging political alliances ahead of the 2027 General Election.
