‘I needed to consult’, Raila shares why pact was not signed in Mombasa

Former Prime Minister and ODM leader Raila Odinga has revealed that the political pact between his party and the United Democratic Alliance was to be signed in Mombasa when he met with President William Ruto after the AUC elections.

He said he, however, asked for time to consult with other members of the party and Kenyans before signing it.

Speaking during the signing of the agreement at KICC today, the ODM boss detailed that he was presented with the agreement that had been drafted by a select team of the two parties while at State House Mombasa.

“At that time, I found that the two teams had worked on some document that they wanted to be signed. I told them I could not sign this document until I had consulted my people. So I took time. I went to Kisumu and met with Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o, and I met with the leadership and elders. I went to Siaya, Homabay, Migori, and Busia. I went to the Coast and went to Wajir. Yesterday, I was in Kisii, Narok, and Nairobi. I managed to get the feeling of my people,” Raila explained

Raila reiterated that the deal between UDA and ODM is not political but based on their resolve to address the challenges facing Kenyans.

“We make it clear that the MoU is not a formation of a political coalition for ODM and UDA. The successful implementation of the agreement will see the basis of steps towards the formation of a broad-based, constitutive, and progressive formation of a stable country in the future,” Raila stated.

As part of the agreement, he announced that the ODM party would be pushing for county governments to receive a minimum of Ksh 450 billion in the upcoming budget.

“We urge all Kenyans interested in having a stable, inclusive, and progressive country. We urge every community and region to rally behind this formation to move Kenya forward,” he added.

He added that tackling unemployment, rising cost of living, and abuses of human rights were part of the deals in the MoU.