UDA-ODM deal promises unmet, says Sifuna

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna /HANDOUT

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has accused the government of misleading Kenyans over the implementation of the 10-point agenda agreed between President William Ruto and Raila Odinga, saying key promises under the deal remain unmet.

Speaking on Wednesday, Sifuna said the committee tasked with overseeing implementation of the agreement had failed to fulfill its mandate and instead attempted to create the impression that progress had been made.

Sifuna said the committee was expected to release its final comprehensive report on March 7,  the same day the agreement was set to expire.

However, he noted that the report was not made public as expected.

“Last Saturday, March 7, 2026 was the day on which the committee overseeing the implementation of the 10-point agenda was expected to release its final comprehensive report. As Kenyans now know, that did not happen,” Sifuna said.

He said the committee’s mandate was clearly defined from the outset, including a requirement to submit progress reports every two months and a final report by the agreed deadline.

“When they were appointed, it was stated in plain English that they would present progress reports every two months with a final report on March 7, 2026. Their sole mission was to ensure implementation of the 10 items and deliver a final report on that date,” he said.

According to Sifuna, the events witnessed during the release of the report created confusion over the status of the agreement and whether its commitments had actually been implemented.

He also questioned the decision to extend the mandate of the committee by an additional 60 days, arguing that the move was not supported by the party’s constitutional structures.

“We want to make it clear that the ODM parliamentary group has no powers under the party constitution to make decisions such as they purported to make. The purported extension is therefore unconstitutional and void,” Sifuna said.

He maintained that whether the agreement had been implemented should not be a matter of speculation, arguing that Kenyans would easily notice changes if the commitments had been fulfilled.

“If abductions and extrajudicial killings stopped after the signing of the MoU we would all know because we all live here. If counties had received Sh450 billion in the current financial year we would know. If the government had honoured its pledge to respect the identity and integrity of political parties it would be obvious to all,” he said.

He said the Linda Mwanainchi had prepared what they described as a “truth report” outlining failures in the implementation of the 10-point agenda.

“Today we wish to present to Kenyans the truth report detailing the failures in the implementation of the 10-point agenda, breaking down each item and the falsehoods used to wrap them,” Sifuna said.

He also questioned the committee’s decision to conduct public participation forums across the country towards the end of its mandate, arguing that responsibility for implementing the agenda rested with the government.

“Our expectation was that the committee would be seeking answers directly from the government on a daily basis rather than travelling across the country purporting to conduct public participation,” he said.

Sifuna said the report presented by the group aimed to highlight what they described as gaps in the implementation process and to hold the government accountable to the commitments made under the agreement.

“We present this report to seal any gaps that may be used to mislead Kenyans that all is well in our nation. The country must confront these failures and hold the government accountable on each count,” he said.