Exactly one year after the March 7, 2025, Memorandum of Understanding between the late Raila Odinga and President William Ruto the expected public disclosure of a comprehensive implementation report on the 10-point reform agenda has become a flashpoint for division within the Orange Democratic Movement.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna in a pointed accusation shared on X charged that political rivals are actively undermining Raila's legacy.
The agreement crafted amid efforts to bridge deep political divides mandated regular progress updates every two months to the principals including Raila himself and crucially required a final public report on the pact's anniversary.
Sifuna highlighted the document's clear language transparency was non-negotiable.
Yet instead of releasing the full details to the Kenyan public as stipulated the implementation committee presented its findings internally to President Ruto and ODM leader Oburu Oginga on March 10, 2026.
This move has intensified claims of deliberate opacity and selective accountability especially poignant following Raila's death from cardiac arrest in October 2025 at age 80.
The 10-point agenda promised sweeping reforms full implementation of the NADCO report recommendations, gender equity starting with the two-thirds rule youth economic empowerment, debt auditing, anti-corruption measures and strengthened democratic institutions.
Critics from the "Linda Mwananchi" faction including Sifuna and allies like James Orengo argue that little tangible progress materialized rendering the pact more symbolic than substantive.
As parallel reports emerge and internal ODM rifts widen amid ongoing debates over Sifuna's position the episode underscores a harsh reality even in death Raila Odinga's vision for inclusive governance and accountability continues to challenge Kenya's political elite.
Whether this marks the quiet death of the broad-based experiment or a catalyst for renewed scrutiny remains uncertain but the unanswered call for transparency speaks volumes about the fragility of political promises in Kenya.
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