National Treasury and Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has said ODM grassroots leaders in Nairobi remain supportive of the broad-based government, dismissing reports of divisions within the party’s structures in the capital.
Mbadi said the broad-based arrangement remained intact and that ODM, as one of the key political parties in the government, had a responsibility to communicate government programmes and achievements to its grassroots supporters.
Speaking in Nairobi on Tuesday after meeting ODM ward chairpersons, Mbadi said the engagement was aimed at ensuring information on government programmes at both national and county levels reached the grassroots.
“I felt there is no better way to communicate to our grassroots teams than calling and inviting the 17 chairpersons of ODM to engage them, so that the message is cascaded to the grassroots,” he said.
Mbadi said 15 of the 17 ODM ward chairpersons invited to the meeting attended, while those who were absent would be included in subsequent engagements.
He said the attendance demonstrated continued support for the broad-based government and ODM’s participation in the arrangement.
“All of them have told me that they are supporting the broad-based government,” Mbadi said.
He dismissed claims that ODM’s Nairobi structures had fractured, saying the party’s grassroots machinery remained intact.
“Forget about all the stories that you are hearing out there, that it’s a splinter group, that it’s a group that has taken off. If they have taken off, I don’t think they have taken off with the party structure. The party structure remains intact, especially in Nairobi,” he said.
Mbadi said the meeting brought together leaders he had worked with for many years, describing ODM as a movement with established grassroots structures.
He said similar engagements could be held with members of other political parties, including UDA and other groups supporting the broad-based government, to ensure their members were also informed about government programmes.
“We are cascading the information about the performance of the government to the grassroots through these people,” Mbadi said.
Lang’ata-based ODM ward chairman Kennedy Oyugi said grassroots leaders had agreed to support the broad-based government and would help communicate its programmes at the constituency and ward levels.
Oyugi said the engagement had helped leaders understand the importance of ODM’s participation in government.
“We are supporting broad-based. As the Minister has said, ODM has a part in Nairobi. We are supporting broad-based,” he said.
Another ODM leader, Rukia Abdi, also affirmed support for the arrangement, saying the grassroots leadership was ready to work with the government.
The leaders further affirmed their support for the existing ODM party structure and its leadership.
Mbadi said the engagement was particularly important as Kenya heads towards the 2027 General Election, with political parties expected to strengthen their grassroots networks.
He said the government would continue engaging political leaders across the political divide to communicate its development agenda to citizens.
By Nancy Omondi and Phaeline Motari
