The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Leaders from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) are calling for the zoning of political territories, accusing members of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) of encroaching on their traditional support bases under the current broad-based political arrangement.
Addressing the media after a four-hour ODM Parliamentary Group meeting in Nairobi on Tuesday, National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed made it clear that the party would not surrender its influence in Parliament to any political partner.
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The closed-door session brought together rival factions within ODM to address internal tensions that have recently threatened party unity. Some lawmakers voiced frustration that UDA politicians and aspirants were leveraging the cooperation deal to gain a foothold in long-standing ODM strongholds.
One MP from the Coast region expressed concern over facing stiff competition from four UDA-linked aspirants eyeing her seat. A number of leaders warned they could reconsider their participation in the arrangement if zoning of political regions is not adopted — an issue that drew the attention of the party’s top leadership.
Junet emphasized that ODM intends to grow its representation in the next General Election and insisted that its parliamentary strength is non-negotiable. While the party is open to discussions on other matters, he said its numbers in Parliament are off the table.
He further revealed that the party leader has been tasked with developing a strategy, assuring members that zoning concerns will form part of upcoming coalition talks between President William Ruto and ODM leader Dr. Oburu Oginga ahead of the 2027 elections.
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Similar complaints had earlier been raised by UDA lawmakers during a National Governing Council meeting, where some expressed fears of being sidelined amid the cooperation deal.
ODM leaders also highlighted divisions caused by parallel “Linda Ground” and “Linda Mwananchi” rallies, saying the competing events have left supporters divided and uncertain. While the broad-based faction aligned with the party leader reaffirmed its loyalty to the party’s direction, the Linda Mwananchi wing pushed for greater internal democracy.
The meeting additionally approved plans to hold the party’s National Delegates Convention (NDC) on March 27. Meanwhile, the committee overseeing the implementation of the 10-point agenda agreed upon by ODM and UDA is expected to table its report next Tuesday.
In a related development, Nandi Hills MP Bernard Kitur was elected chairperson of the Constitution Implementation and Oversight Committee (CIOC), replacing Suba South MP Caroli Omondi, who was removed from the committee by ODM.
