ODM begins early preparations to form government in 2027

A meeting of the Orange Democratic Party (ODM) Central Committee held in Kilifi County on January 12, 2026/HANDOUT

The Orange Democratic Party (ODM) has announced that it will immediately embark on structured preparations aimed at forming the next government in 2027.

In a statement issued after a meeting of its Central Committee, the party noted that with the General Election scheduled for next year, it could not afford to delay its preparations.

“The Committee directed that structured work commence immediately towards positioning ODM not only to contest next year’s general elections, but to form the next government, including policy development, organisational readiness, coalition building, and candidate preparedness,” the party said.

The Central Committee of the Orange Democratic Movement met in Kilifi County on January 12, 2026, to review the political, organisational and strategic state of the party.

During the meeting, the committee resolved to initiate structured negotiations with other political formations as part of its coalition-building efforts.

“The Committee meeting expressed the intention to initiate structured negotiations with different political formations, beginning with United Democratic Alliance,” the statement said.

“To this end, we have mandated the Party Leader to commence this process. Concurrently, consultations with party members will proceed, culminating in the National Delegates Convention,” it added.

The committee also received and reviewed a comprehensive report on the marking of the party’s 20th anniversary, which was celebrated during a three-day event held from November 14 to 16, 2025, in Mombasa.

The celebrations, themed #AsanteBaba, were held in honour of the late party founder Raila Odinga and were aimed at reflecting on ODM’s journey while charting its future direction. 

According to the party, the Central Committee expressed satisfaction with the successful organisation of the celebrations, the broad national participation and their political significance.

“The events reaffirmed ODM’s enduring relevance, resilience, and roots in the struggle for democracy, social justice, and inclusive governance,” the statement said.

The committee further resolved to continue reviewing the implementation of the party’s Ten-Point Agenda, particularly the unresolved issue of compensation for victims of public protests.

Noting that courts had declared the proposed Panel of Experts on Compensation of Victims of Demonstrations and Public Protests unlawful, the committee resolved that any compensation funds should be channelled through constitutionally and legally recognised institutions.

“Specifically, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) should be the institution through which such compensation is processed,” the party said.

In matters of governance and accountability, the Central Committee received a report from the Auditor General and expressed satisfaction that for the twentieth consecutive year, the party had been commended for maintaining clean books.

It also noted that ODM remains one of the few political parties found to be fully compliant with the Political Parties Act by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.

The committee mandated relevant party organs to operationalise the resolutions and report progress to the appropriate leadership structures.

The meeting was held at Vipingo Ridge Golf Resort in Kilifi County and was chaired by party leader Oburu Odinga.

Those in attendance included his deputies Abdulswamad Nassir and Simba Arati, party chairperson Gladys Wanga, Minority Leaders Stewart Madzayo (Senate) and Junet Mohamed (National Assembly), Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo, National Treasurer Timothy Bosire, Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, Youth Caucus chair John Ketorah and ODM Executive Director Oduor Ongwen.