Raila Never Joined Ruto Government — Only 4 ODM Experts Took Office, Analyst Reveals

Political analyst and lawyer Saitabao Ole Kanchory has dismissed claims that the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga personally joined President William Ruto’s broad-based government. 

According to Kanchory, only four experts from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) took up roles in the administration, while Raila himself stayed out of government affairs.

Speaking on a local radio station on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, Kanchory explained that Raila intentionally stayed away, allowing only close allies to assume government positions.

The four ODM experts who joined Ruto’s government, according to Kanchory, are:

Hassan Joho – CS for Mining and Blue Economy

Wycliffe Oparanya – CS for Cooperatives and SMEs

Opiyo Wandayi – CS for Energy

John Mbadi – CS for Finance

“Raila Odinga never joined the broad-based government himself; he only ‘donated’ four experts to the administration,” Kanchory said, challenging anyone to provide evidence suggesting that Raila encouraged ODM supporters to join the government.

He further clarified that Raila’s public position has always been that ODM would support the government in stabilizing the country until 2027, a stance he says should not be confused with personally joining the administration.

“Raila did not leave ODM in government; he only allowed four experts to take roles. There is no record of him asking supporters to align with the broad-based government,” Kanchory emphasized.

The analyst argued that Raila distanced himself because the current government is politically unpopular, and openly endorsing it could have had serious consequences for his party. 

He compared the scenario to “a girl who wants to get married but jumps into it before anyone stops her.”

The remarks follow Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s explanation of how the four ODM experts entered Ruto’s administration. Kalonzo revealed that the president approached each expert individually, not through Raila.

“Ruto approached them one by one, and they agreed. Raila wanted to negotiate for Azimio but these experts had already made their decision, leaving him with no choice,” Kalonzo said.

This clarification comes amid rising debates over ODM’s role in national politics and whether supporting the government equates to joining it—a discussion that continues to stir political conversations across Kenya.