President William Ruto has revealed that Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Dr. Oburu Oginga played a pivotal role in the 2024 broad-based government arrangement.
Speaking at the ODM Founders’ Dinner in Mombasa on Saturday, Ruto recounted a series of consultations he held with the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, noting that Oburu consistently acted as a key confidant in every major discussion.
“It was Oburu Odinga who came and told me, ‘This is the list of the ministries we are thinking about,’ and it was a fairly long list,” Ruto said, referring to the memorandum of ministries ODM hoped to secure under the coalition framework. He noted that the list reflected the party’s expectations and negotiating stance in shaping shared governance with the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition.
The President described Raila as insisting that any substantive talks about the broad-based government involve Oburu, whom he called his “brother, friend, and confidant.”
Ruto extended his goodwill to Oburu, acknowledging the responsibility the ODM leader now carries in guiding the party through a critical period in Kenya’s political landscape. “This great party has given you the honour to steer its affairs. We can only wish you well. We can only wish you Godspeed,” he said.
The broad-based government emerged in the wake of nationwide protests led by Generation Zero (Gen Z), which erupted over the 2024 tax reforms. The demonstrations paralyzed key cities and threatened to destabilize the Ruto administration. In response, the President dissolved his inaugural Cabinet and sought cooperation with opposition parties, eventually signing the March 2025 agreement with Raila Odinga to formalize a coalition aimed at restoring political stability.
Ruto urged Oburu to uphold the late Odinga’s political legacy, describing Raila as a symbol of resilience and national vision. “My hope and wish is that you will not let him down, that you will stand for what he stood for, match his vision, and work for this party the same way your brother and leader did,” Ruto added.you want me to do that?
