Buyu: ODM-UDA talks must be party-to-party, not an ethnic deal

KISUMU, Kenya, Nov 8 – Kisumu West MP Rosa Buyu has urged President William Ruto to treat the proposed engagement between the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) as a partnership between political parties, warning against framing it as a deal with the Luo community.

Buyu said ODM was a national political outfit with supporters drawn from different ethnic communities and should be recognised as an independent party in any negotiations with UDA.

Speaking during a Gor Mahia fans’ economic empowerment event in Nyando Constituency, Kisumu County, on Saturday, the MP said ODM’s political identity extended beyond its traditional support base in the Nyanza region.

“It is not between Ruto and Jaluo. It is between UDA and ODM, which is a party of many tribes in Kenya,” she said.

Her remarks come amid ongoing discussions over the future relationship between the two parties ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Buyu called for political cooperation anchored in national unity and recognition of the diverse communities represented by both parties.

She also defended Ruto’s approach to national inclusion, saying Kenyans should enjoy equal opportunities regardless of their ethnic backgrounds.

“Ruto believes that if you are Kikuyu, you are still Kenyan. If you are Somali from North Eastern, you are still Kenyan, and you deserve to enjoy everything in Kenya,” she said.

The MP declared her support for the President, saying his efforts to bring different communities together deserved recognition.

Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot echoed the call for structured negotiations, saying UDA recognised ODM as an important political partner whose national support base remained significant despite the death of its former leader Raila Odinga.

Cheruiyot dismissed suggestions that ODM had lost its political relevance, insisting that the party remained strong and deserved equal status in any negotiations.

He also criticised ODM politicians questioning the party’s engagement with UDA while allegedly pursuing alternative alliances.

“You cannot tell me that Sifuna and Babu leaving ODM and going to kneel to Gachagua at his home is a better priority,” Cheruiyot said, referring to Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.

The Kericho senator said UDA was ready to engage ODM through formal discussions aimed at building a political arrangement capable of delivering on the aspirations of Kenyans.

“As a leader from the UDA party, we understand the strength of the ODM party and we shall engage ODM as an equal partner, a partner that deserves respect, a partner that we can form a strong government together,” he said.

Cheruiyot urged ODM supporters not to interpret the proposed cooperation as an arrangement designed to benefit only particular communities.

“We shall have structured negotiations where we shall deliver to Kenyans, just like it was a dream of our founding party leader, Baba Raila Amolo Odinga,” he said.

The senator also defended the government’s planned investment in the Rironi-Mau Summit road project, arguing that taxpayers in Western Kenya and other regions deserved equal consideration in national infrastructure development.

He accused former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of opposing projects that would benefit certain regions.

The leaders spoke during the event organised by lawyer Fred Odumo, who is seeking the Kisumu senatorial seat in the 2027 elections.