NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 11 — ODM’s Linda Mwananchi faction has dismissed a report presented by President William Ruto and ODM leader Oburu Oginga on the implementation of a 10-point political cooperation agenda, describing it as superficial and misleading.
Speaking in Nairobi on Wednesday, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said the document unveiled during a joint parliamentary group meeting between the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and ODM’s ‘Linda Ground’ faction was a “charade” intended to create the impression that commitments under the political pact had been fulfilled.
“The report is a charade meant to hoodwink the public into believing that the memorandum of understanding has been implemented when it is obvious to all Kenyans that nothing could be further from the truth,” Sifuna said, referring to the cooperation framework forged between President William Ruto and the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The 10-point agenda, derived largely from recommendations of the bipartisan National Dialogue Committee (NADCO), was designed to address issues including electoral reforms, the cost of living, governance, and police accountability.
Sifuna said confusion witnessed during Tuesday’s meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) exposed divisions within the broad-based political arrangement.
According to him, the meeting revealed contradictions over the status of the agreement after President Ruto announced a 60-day extension of the committee’s mandate, despite earlier assertions by other leaders that the pact had no time limits.
“The confusion that Kenyans witnessed at KICC is enough proof that the so-called broad-based team are aware that they are lying not only to Kenyans but to themselves,” he said.
‘Mini-skirt’ report
Sifuna also argued that the ODM parliamentary group lacked constitutional authority within the party to extend the agreement’s mandate, saying only the party’s National Executive Committee has such powers.
“The purported extension is therefore ultra vires, unconstitutional, null and void,” he added.
Members of the Linda Mwananchi faction released what they described as an alternative “people’s report” assessing progress on the agenda.
Suba South MP Caroli Omondi mocked the official report presented at the parliamentary meeting, describing it as a “mini-skirt” document — short on substance but designed to attract attention.
“A miniskirt should be long enough to cover the subject matter but short enough to arouse interest,” Omondi said.
“What was launched yesterday is extremely short on substance.”
He said their report was compiled through surveys, public consultations, and reviews of parliamentary and government records to provide what he called an independent assessment of progress on commitments made under the cooperation framework.
The faction argued that several major issues within the agenda remain unresolved, including an audit of the 2022 presidential election technology systems.
Omondi said Kenyans should judge government performance not through official statistics but through everyday economic realities.
“The fundamental question is: are Kenyans better off today than they were three years ago? The answer is no,” he said.
The lawmakers also said they were motivated by a desire to protect Raila Odinga’s political legacy, arguing that the agreement bearing his signature should not be misrepresented following his death.
“We are here to defend Baba’s legacy and make sure political fraud is not committed on Kenyans in his name,” Omondi said.
