UDA and ODM on a collision course with destiny

As Kenya’s two most powerful political machines edge towards a formal alliance, Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya signals that UDA-ODM negotiations will determine the country’s direction before the August 2027 polls.

By David Kimani

Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya on Monday confirmed that the United Democratic Alliance and the Orange Democratic Movement will hold formal negotiations to agree on a power-sharing framework before the August 2027 General Election, setting the stage for one of the most consequential political pacts in Kenya’s recent history.

Speaking during political rallies in Kakamega County, Oparanya disclosed that a ten-member negotiating team — five representatives from UDA and five from ODM — has already been constituted to work on a framework ahead of the polls. He was emphatic about his own place at that table. “I have invested a lot in ODM — spiritually, time and resources — and I must be part of the negotiations,” he said, warning that his exclusion could force him to reconsider his position within the party.

The deputy president’s slot has swiftly emerged as the central prize in the emerging arrangement. ODM leaders have increasingly rallied behind Oparanya as their preferred candidate for the position, with National Assembly Minority Whip Junet Mohamed stating publicly that if UDA produces the presidential candidate, the deputy president’s seat belongs to ODM — and should go to Oparanya.

If sealed, the pact could redraw Kenya’s political map across Western Kenya, the Coast, Gusii and Central Kenya. With nine months to polling day, the deal being quietly assembled between State House and ODM’s leadership may yet prove the election’s defining story.

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