Friendly or opportunistic move? Ruto to attend ODM’s big day

President William Ruto will next week wade into charged political waters as he joins ODM in marking two decades of existence—his first major political engagement with the opposition party since the death of its founder, Raila Odinga.

The four-day event, scheduled from Thursday to Sunday, is being billed as a critical test of Ruto’s charm offensive among Raila’s loyal base, with analysts viewing it as a defining moment for post-Raila opposition politics.

Ruto, who has confirmed his attendance, is expected to share the stage with ODM’s top brass in what will likely be a politically symbolic moment—one laden with both opportunity and tension.

Although the invitation was framed as a gesture of goodwill and reconciliation, some ODM insiders view Ruto’s attendance with suspicion, accusing him of attempting to exploit Raila’s absence to infiltrate and destabilise the party from within.

ODM acting party leader Oburu Oginga confirmed that the head of state had been invited—as one of the party’s founder members.

“Even President William Ruto, who was invited, has accepted to come,” Oburu said in an interview with NTV.

Ruto is among the long list of former members who have been invited to the Mombasa event.

“We have invited all those former ODM officials including the ones that are in government. It is up to them to come or not come,” ODM deputy party leader Godfrey Osotsi told the Star.

According to ODM executive director Oduor Ong’wen, the decision to have the founding members onboarded was made by Raila himself.

“Twenty years is a very important milestone that is why he (Raila) proposed and we adopted that we have a meeting of founder members even those who went their way. For example, not many people know that ODM member Number one is Najib Balala,” Oduor told the Star in an interview.

“It is just important to celebrate with them because their ideas outlived some of their impatience and challenges that normally come with Kenyan politics. It is basically to celebrate them for coming up with an idea of this movement which is now a machine.”

Other founding members who have been invited include retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, ex-minister Najib Balala and former lawmaker Julia Ojiambo among others.

“We welcome everyone, but we will not allow our ideals to be hijacked by political opportunism,” a ranking member of the party told the Star in confidence.

Osotsi also defended the decision to invite the former member President, Ruto included, to join the Orange Party in its celebrations.

“They still remain our former members, we will allow them to come in and participate in the celebrations. Nothing stops them from celebrating with us,” Osotsi said.

ODM Youth League president John Ketora even urged Ruto to not only attend the celebrations, but also rejoin the party and fly its flag in 2027.

“It is just okay for Ruto to come to ODM. He is a big fish and ODM shall have won bringing a sitting President to join it as a candidate (in the next elections). It is about making the party bigger and stronger,” Ketora told the Star on phone.

The celebrations come against a backdrop of widening cracks within ODM over whether to cooperate with Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration.

Murmurs within the Orange ranks suggest discontent is growing, with some loyalists accusing colleagues of being too cosy with State House.

A faction of party leaders has argued that working with the government aligns with Raila’s legacy of national unity and shared governance.

But another camp, led by secretary general Edwin Sifuna, reads it as betrayal, warning that such cooperation risks diluting ODM’s ideological identity and weakening its role as the main opposition force.

Insiders say Ruto is expected to use the upcoming engagement with ODM to rally support for his development agenda and affirm the broad-based government’s inclusivity.

Likewise, the President’s allies in the Orange party insist Ruto’s attendance underscores his commitment to dialogue and inclusivity, portraying him as a unifying figure ready to work with former opposition strongholds.

During the former Prime Minister’s burial, Ruto warned that he would not allow “Raila’s party to be hijacked by political opportunists”—remarks that some interpreted as a signal of his desire to shape the party’s post-Raila trajectory.

Whether the President will win over sceptical Orange loyalists or face a cold reception could define the next chapter of the working relationship between Ruto's UDA and Raila's party.

Meanwhile, the ODM luminaries have maintained the celebrations will be heavy on celebrating their departed leader.

Initially designed to showcase ODM’s journey, achievements and resilience over two decades, Ong’wen said the death of Raila gives the milestone event a totally different tangent.

“It is going to be fundamentally different. Initially, what we were going to have was a carnivore. Now with this development, it would be more about mourning him and celebrating his life. Basically, it is his departure that is going to dominate the activity, it is no longer a celebration,” Ong’wen said.

“Even the interdenominational meeting—it will now be prayers in his memory. It is going to be a sombre environment than celebrations.”

Ososti noted that the celebrations will not in any way bring to closure the mourning of the former Premier.

“We were also going to reposition our party as a resilient political movement that is determined to change this country. Though Raila has died, we are going to celebrate him posthumously,” Osotsi stated.

“We were also going to celebrate our leader, Raila Odinga, we are going to celebrate his contributions to the struggles Kenyans have gone through.”

INSTANT ANALYSIS

With emotions still raw following Raila’s passing, all eyes will be on how Ruto navigates the symbolism and sentiment of an event steeped in the former PM’s legacy. Whether the President will win over sceptical Orange loyalists or face a cold reception could define the next chapter of Kenya’s political realignments ahead of 2027.