Ruto, Raila to chair first joint PG on Monday amid boycott threats

President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga will on Monday preside over their first ever joint Parliamentary Group meeting—an unprecedented political convergence, symbolising a looming 2027 deal.

The State House meeting is expected to bring MPs from ODM and the Kenya Kwanza coalition under one roof.

The two leaders are hoping to rally lawmakers behind a common legislative agenda.

 It comes just days after Ruto agreed to compensate victims of police brutality and appointed a joint team to oversee the implementation of his MoU with Raila.

“We will meet our MPs from ODM and Kenya Kwanza to agree on how to unite and move the country forward,” Ruto said in Migori on Thursday.

But the meeting, as historic as it may be, is already under siege.

A faction of rebel MPs from both camps has vowed to boycott it, dismissing the arrangement as a betrayal of their political ideals.

Kitutu Chache South MP Antony Kibagendi, who has drifted politically towards former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, dismissed the gathering as a “broad-based affair” that undermines his convictions.

“I will not attend. For what? I am not a member of the broad-based government,” he told the Star.

From the ODM side, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino—one of the most outspoken critics of the Ruto–Raila pact—said the venue compromises parliamentary independence.

“If this meeting is truly about unity and reforms, it should be held at a neutral ground, Uhuru Park, Jacaranda Grounds, somewhere MPs can speak freely,” he said, adding that he would be in Mombasa for the Law Society of Kenya conference instead.

Saboti MP Caleb Amisi said the President is not his party leader. He said the meeting should have been held at ODM headquarters, Chungwa House.

Their defiance adds to a growing list of dissenters, including allies of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who accuse Ruto’s administration of sidelining them politically.

Gatanga MP Edwin Muriu termed the joint Parliamentary Group meeting to plan Ruto’s 2027 re-election.

The MP claimed they have been unfairly kicked out of influential parliamentary committees and ejected from official WhatsApp groups, a move they say was designed to humiliate and weaken their influence.

“I have not been invited and I don’t expect to be invited. Remember the people who support Rigathi Gachagua were exorcised. We were removed from the committees and PG whatsapp groups, so even when people are going to State House we are never invited,” Muriu said.

“That is an affair of Ruto and Raila and they are planning for 2027. For us we are waiting for Gachagua to come from the US and start preparing for the by-elections, DCP launch and signing MoU with all other like-minded parties.”

The meeting is part of the quarterly joint PGs that Ruto and Raila announced while forming a five-member committee to oversee the implementation of the 10-point Memorandum of Understanding and the Nadco report.

The committee chaired by former nominated Senator Agnes Zani has settled on governance expert Javas Bigambo as deputy.

Other members of the team include Kevin Kiarie, Gabriel Oguda and Fatuma Ibrahim.

The team will on Monday submit progress reports before the joint sitting at State House.

“The committee will commence its work immediately and will submit progress reports to the principals every two months and to a joint Kenya Kwanza – ODM Parliamentary Group on quarterly basis,” communication signed by Ruto and Raila said.

“A final comprehensive report detailing the status of the MoU’s implementation will be released to the public on March 7 next year, marking the one-year anniversary of its signing.”

Kajiado Central MP Elijah Memusi also told the Star he will not be available, citing a pre-planned engagement.

His absence, he said has nothing to do with the broad-based politics.

Observers, however, say the Monday session and even the five-member committee is designed to calm simmering disquiet, especially in ODM and rally MPs around a common agenda before dissent hardens into open rebellion.

“The President is trying to help Raila manage restlessness in the ODM Party,” political analyst Martin Andati told the Star.

Raila allies have recently expressed opposition to the deal with ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna terming the MoU ‘dead’.