Moses Kuria: NADCO Reduced to ‘Dowry Paid by UDA to ODM’ After Joint PG Meeting

Former presidential advisor Moses Kuria speaking in a past event/PHOTO: COURTESY

Ex-presidential advisor Moses Kuria has strongly criticized the results of Monday’s joint parliamentary group (PG) meeting between President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance and Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), accusing both parties of reducing the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) process to a political transaction.

In a strongly worded post on X on Tuesday, Kuria expressed his disappointment, stating that he had long envisioned NADCO leading to a referendum. This could potentially be presented as a seventh ballot in the 2027 General Election to address Kenya's ongoing political instability.

“I was clinging to the hope that the NADCO process would culminate in a referendum, most likely as the 7th ballot during the 2027 General Elections. Why? Because, as I have said before, we have a malignant tumour in our body politic which we keep trying to heal through anaesthesia such as Handshake, broad-based arrangements, etc., ad infinitum, ad nauseam,” Kuria wrote.

He went on to dismiss Monday’s PG, where ODM and UDA MPs jointly endorsed the ten-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed last October, as little more than a partisan deal.

“Sadly, what I saw yesterday was an otherwise promising national moment being reduced to a dowry paid by UDA to ODM,” Kuria added.

President Ruto, DP Kindiki and Raila Odinga arrive in Karen for the ODM-Kenya Kwanza parliamentary group meeting on August 18, 2025/X UDA

At the PG held at the KCB Leadership Centre in Nairobi, President Ruto delivered one of his strongest anti-corruption warnings yet, accusing MPs of turning Parliament into a marketplace.

“In the Senate… the chambers are nicknamed soko huru—a free market where everything has its price. Some governors have been asked for KSh 150 million to survive impeachment. In the National Assembly, others demanded KSh 10 million to pass the Money Laundering Bill. This is shameful, and I will not allow it,” Ruto said.

The President told MPs that the country could not build a credible economy while its legislative arms were compromised by bribery.

ODM leader Raila Odinga backed the President’s warning, dismissing attempts to frame cash-for-votes practices in Parliament as lobbying.

“Extortion is not lobbying. It is corruption, pure and simple. We cannot build democracy on such practices,” Raila declared.

The two leaders jointly urged lawmakers from both parties to rally behind the ten-point MoU and NADCO implementation, including compensation for victims of last year’s anti-government protests.

His remarks follow similar concerns from Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who insists ODM must vacate Minority leadership roles in Parliament if it is to work with Ruto.

The contrast between Ruto and Raila’s united anti-corruption front on Monday and Kuria’s Tuesday criticism highlights the fragility of Kenya’s new political arrangements. While the President and ODM leader seek to consolidate cooperation, Kuria warns that the reform agenda risks being hijacked by political expediency.

As Parliament prepares to act on Monday’s resolutions, Kuria’s warning raises the central question: is NADCO still about long-term national reform, or has it become another chapter in Kenya’s cycle of elite bargains?