In recent times, the once political behemoth of ODM has been seesawing to
vested political interests to the dismay of its membership and followers.
During Raila Odinga’s helm
at the leadership, the party enjoyed unparalleled clarity in vision and
strategic decisions. The party had well-grounded policy positions on national
and social issues.
These ideological standings informed key resolutions on its
electoral direction. It was, therefore, easy for the public to predict the next
course of action by the party based on its long-standing history of social
justice, national unity and people’s development.
While the party never formed the government in the successive general
elections since its inception in 2007, it remained a dominant player in Kenya’s
national and the region’s political fabric.
It consistently cried foul and cited
electoral injustices for its inability to form and lead the government. However,
while outside mainstream government, the party has been capable of exerting
immense pressure and influence over national governance.
Through the charisma
of its founding leader, Raila, it has been responsible for the milestone
transformation of the country through legal and administrative overhaul of the
country’s governance structure. The party has become synonymous with the
citizens’ aspirations for a modern Kenya where citizens live with dignity in
harmony.
The 2010 Constitution is attributed to its gallant struggles against impunity
and gross violation of human rights. And so is the steady resistance to
official graft and bad governance. In its parliamentary leadership and through
popular civic activism, it has consistently held the government to account for
its misadventures.
The Grand Coalition government between the party and then President Mwai
Kibaki’s PNU is still hailed as the best-balanced, people-centred,
development-oriented and transformational national leadership of all time.
In a nation highly polarised due to ethnicity, the party has been the
vanguard of stability since it is broad-based with grassroots networks across
the entire country.
In times of great political crisis and tension leading to
violent protests and civil strife, the party and its enigmatic leader Raila, have always stood for national interest above self and narrow parochial
pursuits.
It is this light that the party’s truce with PNU under Kibaki,
Jubilee under Uhuru Kenyatta and now President William Ruto’s UDA should be
understood. In spite of disputing the presidential election results, the party
has ceded ground on several ties for the sake of national unity and political
stability.
In ordinary circumstances, these acts should have eroded its
credibility. Instead, the party’s standing among the citizens has been regularly
celebrated as the safe hands that have steadied the ship and saved the country from sinking
into the abyss and its imminent collapse several times.
The party has initiated
pragmatic programmes and contributed immensely to the social transformation of
the country since the Orange movement of the 2005 constitutional referendum. Raila understood much better
the role of political parties in the governance of nations.
Political parties serve as indispensable,
evolving pillars of democratic governance, functioning as the primary link
between citizens and the state.
Their roles have transitioned from elite,
ideological factions in the 18th and 19th centuries to complex, mass-based
"catch-all" organisations that often prioritise broad appeal, media
presence and pragmatism over strict ideology.
Historically, political parties emerged as elite cliques or ideological
groups seeking to challenge, control, or influence the government
apparatus. Parties in this era were deeply rooted in specific ideologies
such as liberal, socialist and conservative and represented clear, often
class-based, interests of their members.
They also served to select candidates
from the educated or landed elite to represent the electorate, especially as
voting rights expanded. Parties functioned as incubators for specific, coherent
policy platforms based on their ideologies, aiming to implement these ideas if
they seized power.
Additionally, they established the framework for
parliamentary opposition, providing alternatives to the ruling elite rather
than just seeking power for its own sake. Modern parties have adapted to
mass electorates and increased polarisation, with a focus on
"catch-all" strategies, where parties attempt to appeal to a broader
spectrum of voters.
Instead of promoting a single ideological vision, modern parties often
aggregate diverse societal interests into a broad platform to win elections,
focusing on issues such as health, education and infrastructure. In parliamentary systems, parties or
coalitions of parties with shared policy platforms are crucial for forming the
executive branch.
They ensure governance by organising parliamentary agendas
and maintaining the stability needed for long-term policy implementation. They
as well connect citizens to the political system by fostering engagement
through campaigns, debates, and local activities, thus increasing political
knowledge. This is political socialisation.
Modern parties, especially in rapidly changing technological and social
environments, adapt policies to address new challenges such as climate change,
digital transformation and economic shifts. Opposition parties provide
oversight and accountability. They function as watchdogs investigating the
ruling party's conduct, scrutinising policies and proposing alternatives.
The
parties invest heavily in data-driven campaigning and largely rely on technology and social media for voter
outreach. They use data analytics to tailor messages, which has shifted focus
toward winning electoral support through targeted communication rather than
just grassroots mobilisation.
Since the demise of Raila last October, the party has pandered to the whims
of entrenched internal cleavages as well as external interests. Instead of
providing vital foresight, the party leadership has created confusion amongst
the members at a critical moment when the general elections are just over one
year ahead.
The former Prime Minister had established clear structures of
decision-making for the party. Soon after the disputed 2022 presidential
election, he developed a carefully crafted roadmap to guide the party’s operations.
The frameworks for engagement with other political parties and social movements
were openly canvassed and laid out to the public for validation.
Raila carried along the party’s support base and the general population as he
navigated the turbulent political environment that ensued soon after the
installation of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
This led to the establishment
of the bipartisan National Dialogue Committee process, whose report is being
implemented by the various government agencies and national institutions of
governance. The Nadco report recommended inclusivity in governance and resulted in the formation
of a broad-based government that included ODM members.
It appears that some leaders of the party did not fully understand the
policy decisions that were made under the leadership of Raila. In the
alternative, they might not have believed in them but chose to move with the
current to avoid any public backlash because of Raila’s charisma.
Further,
these leaders might have also chosen to pursue strategies that would support
their personal leadership survival. The intense leadership wrangles within the
top echelons are a result of these developments.
However, what cannot be wished away is that the party as an institution
under the leadership of Raila made some strategic decisions for its own sake.
It made a resolution to enter into a post-election coalition agreement with the UDA
under the 10-point agenda.
This was duly executed and publicly endorsed across the country. As an
institution in perpetuity, the party is a legal person. The current leadership
must accept that they succeeded Raila in the party with its assets and
liabilities.
The commitments made under the former
premier must be discharged
as envisaged and detailed in print. For avoidance of doubt and for all
practical purposes, ODM is in and part of the government. Until the next elections,
the party is joined at the hip with UDA.
There should be no pretence that part
of its leadership is in the opposition. That would amount to political deceit
and bad manners. The party cannot have its cake and eat it.
Kanyadudi is a political and policy analyst
