The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has taken a hardline stance against recent developments within the Azimio la Umoja coalition, demanding an immediate freeze of the coalition’s operations following its revival under former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
In a strongly worded letter dated February 5 and addressed to the Registrar of Political Parties (RPP), ODM accused Azimio’s leadership of making unilateral and illegal changes that violate the coalition’s founding agreement. The party argued that the reactivation of Azimio and the subsequent restructuring were carried out without proper consultation or approval from all coalition principals.
ODM Executive Director Oduor Ong’wen faulted a meeting of the Azimio Coalition Council held on February 2, during which key leadership positions were reportedly altered. He maintained that the meeting lacked constitutional legitimacy and that any decisions reached were null and void.
According to ODM, the coalition’s Deed of Agreement clearly states that major decisions – especially those involving the appointment or removal of senior officials such as the secretary general – must be made collectively by the leaders of all constituent parties. The party insisted that no single individual, group, or council has the authority to act independently.
“The power to appoint or remove members of the coalition council is a shared responsibility of the coalition’s party leaders and cannot be exercised unilaterally,” ODM stated, citing Article 6 of the Deed of Agreement.
The article further outlines that the Azimio Coalition Council is made up of 11 members, including representatives from Jubilee Party, ODM, Wiper Democratic Movement, and the Mwanzo Mpya Caucus. Any changes to its composition, ODM argued, must receive consensus from all these parties.
As a result, ODM formally asked the Registrar of Political Parties to suspend and freeze all resolutions arising from the disputed meeting until full compliance with the coalition agreement is observed.
The protest comes just days after Azimio announced a major shake-up aimed at repositioning the coalition ahead of the 2027 General Elections. The changes included the appointment of Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka as Azimio’s Party Leader, Suba MP Caroli Omondi as Secretary General, and former Nairobi Town Clerk Philip Kisia as Executive Director – appointments that ODM now wants put on hold.