KENYA : The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga has demanded full implementation of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report, for the party to continue its cooperation with the Kenya Kwanza government.
Speaking on Monday March 3, 2025 during his public consultation forum with party delegates at Billionaires Resort in Malindi Town, Kilifi County, the ODM Chief stated this is not negotiable.
The ODM party leader has been demanding action from the government, seeking compensation for the demonstrators who lost their lives during the 2023 Azimio protests and the 2024 Anti Finance Bill protests, better service delivery among other issues.
“I’m consulting all my party members and getting their views and concerns and we find solutions to the problems bedeviling the country such as high cost of living, the SHA problems, abductions and devolution struggles and this are the things we want the government to address,” he said.
Earlier this weekend, the ODM Chief was in Mombasa where he echoed similar remarks.
The Former Prime Minister rattled off a laundry list of Kenya’s woes—ethnic job bias, runaway corruption, a crumbling devolution system, rogue cops snatching people off the streets and Failing Health & Education Sectors.
Speaking at the Elimu na Mazingira Building in Mombasa, the ODM kingpin painted a grim picture of a country on the brink.
" The Cost of Living has risen above the roof, the Education sector is crumbling, Health services are now a Pity, Youths in the Country are grappling with high unemployment, This What We want Fixed" Mr. Odinga roared.
The Azimio Coalition leader, also demanded compensation for victims of the 2023 Azimio anti-government protests and last year’s Gen Z demos, insisting that the injured andk families of the dead deserve justice—and cash.
Raila didn’t mince words: this isn’t just about money—it’s a non-negotiable condition for talks with President Ruto’s regime.
"The youth who sustained injuries and parents of those who died in 2023 during the Azimio protests and the Gen Z protests of last year have to be compensated," Raila asserted.
"Those are the conditions we are setting. But the most important thing is that such incidents should not be happening in our country." He added.
Kilifi Governor Mung’aro on his part insisted that counties were still struggling since most devolved functions have been retained at the national level such as the roads fund.
“We have had a meeting with our party leader and we have resolved to continue the push of implementation of the NADCO report because Kenya is for everyone and we have given Baba the mandate to lead the process,” he said.
NADCO REPORT.
The Nadco was formed after President William Ruto and Opposition Leader Raila Odinga agreed to have talks after bloody protests between March and July 2023.
Key among the recommendations was having a new electoral commission in place, measures to lower the high cost of living, creation of the office of the Leader of the Opposition and the office of the Prime Minister among others.
The committee report recommended that the Constitution be amended to establish the office of the Leader of the Opposition, an office that will go to the person who is the leader of the largest party, or a coalition of political parties which garnered the second highest number of votes at the last presidential election.
The committee recommended that the Constitution create the office of the Prime Minister who shall be nominated with the approval of the National Assembly and appointed by the President to assist the President and the Deputy President in the coordination, supervision, and implementation of government policies.
The Nadco report also made several recommendations after meeting various stakeholders and experts which included the amendment of the First Schedule to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Act, 2011 to establish a Selection Panel for IEBC Commissioners.
The report recommends that within one year of its adoption, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) and Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) be merged, and their mandates be undertaken by the Kenya National Human Rights and Equality Commission as established under Article 59 of the Constitution.
The committee recommends that Parliament should fast-track the enactment of legislation to harmonise bicameral relations between the Houses with the Constitution being amended to provide that the term of the Senate shall expire on the seventh year from the date of the last election.
The report seeks to have the Constitution amended to promote multi-party and fidelity to political parties by entrenching procedures for resignation and deregistration of members of political parties.
This seeks to ensure party discipline and provide that a political party may enter into a pre or post-coalition agreement with another political party or political parties.
“The Constitution be amended to include, in the basic requirements of political parties, that every political party shall promote discipline within the party, conduct its affairs in a manner that promotes democracy and peaceful politics, and adheres to the values and principles of the Constitution in the nomination of persons to appointive or elective positions including Articles 27, 54, 55, 56, 57 and 100 of the Constitution,” says the report.
However, the report did not delve into how political disagreements in Kenya often lead to street protests characterised by the unlawful use of force by police, death and destruction of property that ends up bringing our political elite to the negotiation table, thus halting the protests and police action and bringing back peace.
The plight of the victims and their quest for justice, restitution, and compensation is left by the wayside, yet their blood led to the political compromises that brought back peace.
The developments in 2017, including the presidential election that was annulled, the repeat elections which the opposition boycotted later in the year and the 2018 opposition protests that are reminiscent of those of 2023, similarly led to the famous handshake that proposed the ill-fated sweeping changes to the Constitution through the Building Bridges Initiative.
