NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 11 — Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said Wednesday that he had an explicit mandate from the late opposition leader Raila Odinga to supervise implementation of the political pact with President William Ruto, directly rebuffing the president’s criticism of what he termed “self-appointed supervisors” of the agreement.
Speaking in Nairobi during the launch of a “People’s Report” assessing the cooperation framework, Sifuna said he personally drafted the memorandum of understanding underpinning the 10-point agenda between ODM and the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and had been tasked by Odinga to oversee its implementation.
“I want to make it very clear that I am the supervisor the president was talking about yesterday regarding the implementation of this MOU,” Sifuna said.
“I wrote it by hand [and] I am the one who took it to him [Ruto]. He didn’t read it. So I am the one who will supervise the implementation of that, and I was made a supervisor by my boss, Raila Odinga. If you want him to fire me as a supervisor, you talk to him.”
Sifuna also declared that the political agreement binding ODM and UDA had already expired on March 7, arguing that any attempt to extend it would be “invalid and illegal.”
“There is no longer any document binding us with UDA,” he said.
“It expired on the 7th of March. We have said that the extension is illegal, and therefore nobody can claim that there is any other relationship between us.”
‘Self-appointed supervisors’
Sifuna’s remarks came a day after President Ruto criticized individuals he said were attempting to claim oversight authority over the cooperation framework between the two parties.
Speaking during a joint parliamentary group meeting of UDA and sections of ODM at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), the president said the commitments under the pact were made directly to Kenyan citizens rather than to political figures.
“There are some people who want to appoint themselves supervisors as if we made the commitment to them,” Ruto said. “We made the commitment to the people of Kenya.”
The political arrangement between the government and ODM — often referred to as the “broad-based” framework — emerged after months of political tensions and protests.
The 10-point agenda, derived largely from recommendations of the bipartisan National Dialogue Committee (NADCO), was intended to address issues including electoral reforms, governance, police accountability, and the cost of living.
However, the deal has exposed deep divisions within ODM, with Sifuna among leaders who argue that the agreement has not delivered on its reform promises.
He dismissed a report presented during Tuesday’s parliamentary meeting as a “charade” meant to create the impression that the commitments had been fulfilled.
“It is obvious to all Kenyans that nothing could be further from the truth,” he said.
