On Sunday, President William Ruto hinted at a possible coalition with ODM leader Raila Odinga. This might revive the 2007 ODM Pentagon before the 2027 elections. His comments in Kakamega about forming a broad-based government, including former ODM officials, sparked speculation.
Ruto has assigned Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to support Odinga’s bid for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship. This move could strengthen their working relationship. In 2007, Ruto, Odinga, Mudavadi, and other regional leaders were key members of the ODM Pentagon. They united various regions to challenge President Mwai Kibaki’s re-election.
The ODM Pentagon also included Najib Balala, Charity Ngilu, and the late Joe Nyaga. Although Kibaki won, the election was highly contested. It led to over 1,000 deaths and displaced more than 600,000 people due to post-election violence.
There are rumors that Odinga, with Ruto’s support for his AUC bid, might back Ruto’s re-election in 2027. Political analyst Martin Oloo suggests Ruto expects less support from Central Kenya. Thus, he is strengthening his base in Western and Nyanza regions.
Oloo believes that supporting Odinga’s AUC bid could boost Ruto’s chances in Nyanza. In Kakamega, Ruto highlighted similarities between ODM and UDA manifestos, like universal health coverage, housing, and small and medium enterprise development. He thanked Raila and emphasized national unity and prosperity.
Mudavadi acknowledged Kenya’s changing political landscape. He stressed the need to focus on current challenges. He downplayed the relevance of the 2007 Pentagon, prioritizing concrete results. ODM co-deputy leader Simba Arati expressed a commitment to stabilizing the country by collaborating with Ruto, even without a formal agreement with Kenya Kwanza.
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