For the ODM 'rebels', the only card they can play is to play ball with Raila Odinga.
A section of elected leaders from Nyanza who have been branded as ‘rebels’ for working with President William Ruto now feels vindicated after their critics were nominated to the cabinet.
They say they were visionary in their bold move made very early in the day to work with the Kenya Kwanza government.
The leaders said despite being vilified by opposition supporters and facing the wrath of their counterparts who were branding them as traitors, it is now clear that the opposition must work closely with the government of the day to ensure the country is run smoothly.
Orange Democratic Movement led by Party leader Raila Odinga (Center) and his deputies Hassan Joho (left) and Wycliffe Oparanya (right) addressing journalists at Emory Hotel, Nairobi on July 2, 2024.
Their sentiments came a few days after Opposition Chief Raila Odinga’s allies and top ODM officials were nominated to Ruto’s cabinet.
The four are National Orange Democratic Movement Party Chairman and nominated MP Mr John Mbadi (National Treasury and Economic Planning), ODM Deputy Party Leaders Hassan Joho (Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs) and Wycliffe Oparanya (Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi (Energy and Petroleum).
The four have been the most vocal leaders hitting at the ‘rebels’ for working with President Ruto, they even resolved through the party organs to summon them for going to State House without the party’s blessings.
In February, last year, the leaders made a bold move to meet President Ruto at State House, Nairobi in total defiance of Mr Odinga's stand, whipping party members not to recognise the current administration.
Those who visited State House included Kisumu East MP Shakeel Shabbir who was elected as an independent candidate, ODM‘s Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda, and members of the National Assembly Mr Mark Nyamita (Uriri), Elisha Odhiambo (Gem), Dr Gideon Ochanda (Bondo), Paul Abuor (Rongo), Phelix Odiwuor aka Jalang’o (Langata) and Caroli Omondi (Suba South).
Their actions would immediately attract criticism from their colleagues and Opposition supporters who shunned them for embracing the government for the sake of development, as well as hostility in their respective constituencies.
They were later de-whipped from committees and faced disciplinary action from the ODM Party which initiated the process of ejecting them from the outfit and subsequently pushing for their resignation as MPs.
President William Ruto with Nyanza ODM leaders at State House on February 7, 2023.
But now they feel vindicated.
“We were criticised and called names but now I am glad that we have been vindicated. There was a political attraction between ODM and the Kenya Kwanza coalition a long time ago and it was just that they were first among the equals who saw the need to work with the government early enough for the benefit of our people. I am glad that those who used to criticise us, have joined us,” said Senator Ojienda.
He said what should now happen is that the ideologies of both sides should be harmonised to ensure that the policies that are put in place work better for the people.
“When we went to State House, we did this without the knowledge of Baba, and we were dragged to the tribunal by my learned friend Edwin Sifuna who told me he had been directed by Mbadi, but we are glad that we are now together,” said Mr Ojienda.
Read: Martha Karua storms out of Azimio, says Narc-Kenya's ties with Raila coalition no longer tenable
But the Kisumu senator is calling on the nominees to resign from their party positions before they are vetted.
"The nominees should now resign from their party positions. We want to start revamping the ODM party and I do not mind being the next secretary-general because I am capable and will deliver," said Mr Ojienda.
He believes there is a need for fresh leaders who will embrace a reformist agenda and is optimistic that the Luo nation will rally behind Dr Ruto in 2027.
Dr Ochanda and other colleagues made a decision when some people had doubts about President Ruto's presidency.
"After the elections, when some people were still doubting whether we had a government, we took the bold step of recognising the current government. We went with people like Ojienda and now those who condemned us have gone round and round but they have ended up here with us," said Dr Ochanda.
Mr Nyamita described the appointments as good and called on Kenyans to embrace dialogue.
Mr Nyamita was happy that President Ruto had shed political enmity and reached out to his perceived political opponents to work together.
But while the move by Mr Odinga's close allies to join the government vindicates them, there is also a general feeling that the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya leader and his team are likely to push them out of Dr Ruto's corner and kill them politically.
This happened during the handshake between Mr Odinga and Mr Kenyatta when those who were used to attacking Mr Odinga were silenced while others were kept away from the President.
In this latest development, the first casualty of the new arrangement is the Cabinet Secretary for ICT and Digital Economy Mr Eliud Owalo, who was among the CSs shown the door and replaced by two newcomers from Luo Nyanza (Mr Wandayi and Mr Mbadi).
The first casualty of the new arrangement is the Cabinet Secretary for ICT and Digital Economy Mr Eliud Owalo.
As the two have been appointed to key positions, this means that they will have the ear of the president.
Then there is a battery of former elected leaders who have rallied around Mr Owalo, who has been completely thrown off balance by the new development and their silence following President Ruto's announcements speaks volumes.
While others have benefited from the appointment courtesy of Mr Owalo, those whose stars have dimmed may have to think outside the box to survive in the current political arrangement.
They include former Nairobi governor Dr Evans Kidero, who has been appointed permanent secretary in the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, and former Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo (roads and transport).
They have been fierce critics of Mr Odinga but now have to find ways of tolerating his presence and that of his allies in government.
Prof Ojienda says those who have worked with Dr Ruto should not be victimised but embraced because the Luo community needs to be on the same page.
However, political pundit Dr Obora Okoth says those who chose to work with Dr Ruto without Mr Odinga's blessings have cooked their goose.
"Mr Odinga understands the political dynamics of this country so well because he has been there for so long and for Mr Ruto to seek out Mr Odinga in his time of need means that those who went before may not have helped him politically the way the opposition leader will," says Dr Okoth.
According to him, there is definitely a difference between someone being appointed by the President through Mr Odinga and one who has 'snuck' his way to the Head of State.
“When Ruto pick people from Nyanza without Raila’s approval, Mr Odinga’s followers will brand them as betrayers and complain about them, but should Raila nominate a person to be appointed to the cabinet whether he or she is his sibling, there will be celebrations all over Luo Nyanza. That is just the reality and those who went ahead may still be in trouble,” said Dr Okoth.
Former Nairobi City County Governor Evans Kidero.
He stated that for Dr Kidero and Mr Gumbo, the only card they can play is to play ball with Mr Odinga.
Mr James Aggrey Mwamu, a High Court lawyer and political commentator, shares the same sentiments, saying those who went ahead cannot be vindicated because they did so as individuals and not with the blessings of the party or the community.
He believes that President Ruto reached out to the ODM party as an entity because those he thought could help his course from this region have not achieved much.
Mr Mwamu told the Nation that those who left early will definitely face the wrath of the electorate come 2027.
"Power abhors a vacuum and when some of the elected leaders went to bed with the government, new faces occupied the positions. They have already lost because their influence is over. All they can do is plead to be considered for other slots," said Mr Mwamu.
He also didn't have encouraging words for those who have been appointed Principal Secretaries or Heads of Parastatals, saying the four nominees, if approved, will have a big say in who they want to work with down to the departments.
“Whoever were allies of those who are no longer in cabinet, have a cause to worry because the new CSs will want their own people who they trust, to work under them and fulfil their vision. This means PSs and Departmental heads,” said Mr Mwamu.
He castigated those blaming Mr Odinga for the move as missing the point, saying Mr Odinga has no option but to support the government he is relying on to push his candidature for the African Union Commission.
Mr Mwamu said it was in Mr Odinga's interest to see that the country he comes from is united and stable to boost his chances of winning the continental post.
