ODM Challenges Uhuru After Kalonzo’s Appointment as Azimio Party Leader

A side by side image of forme president Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM Party Leader Oburu Odinga

The Orange Democratic Movement has formally protested recent changes to the leadership of the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition, arguing that the process violated the coalition’s founding Deed of Agreement.

In a letter dated Thursday, February 5, and addressed to the Registrar of Political Parties, ODM Executive Director Oduor Ong’wen questioned the legality of a meeting that approved the leadership changes.

According to ODM, the meeting held on Monday, February 2, 2026, did not follow the procedures outlined in the coalition agreement, particularly on how leadership appointments and removals should be conducted.

“Our attention has been drawn to a meeting of the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Council held on Monday 2nd February 2026, which purported to effect changes to the leadership of the Coalition, including the position of Secretary General,” the letter stated.

Ong’wen said a plain reading of Article 6(A)(1) of the Azimio Deed of Agreement clearly outlines the composition of the Coalition Council and the lawful process for appointing or removing officials.

“A plain and literal reading of Article 6(A)(1) of the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Deed of Agreement leaves no ambiguity as to how the membership of the Coalition Council is constituted and the manner in which appointments or removals are to be effected,” he wrote.

ODM maintained that the authority to appoint or remove coalition officials rests collectively with the leaders of the constituent parties and cannot be exercised unilaterally or by the council acting alone.

“The clear import of this provision is that the appointment and removal of members of the Coalition Council, including the Secretary General, is a collective preserve of the Party Leaders of the Coalition’s constituent parties,” the letter read.

The party listed Jubilee, ODM, Wiper Democratic Movement, and the authorised representative of the Mwanzo Mpya Caucus as the only entities mandated to make such decisions under the agreement.

“The power to appoint or remove is therefore neither unilateral nor vested in a single Party Leader, a clique of leaders, nor the Coalition Council acting independently,” ODM added.

According to the party, its leader, who is explicitly named as a key stakeholder in the coalition agreement, was neither consulted nor informed about the purported leadership changes.

“It is our considered position that the Party Leader of the Orange Democratic Movement was neither informed nor involved in the purported changes,” the letter continued.

As a result, ODM argued that the meeting and its resolutions have no legal standing, insisting they were conducted outside the law and the coalition framework.

“Consequently, the meeting and its resolutions were ultra vires, in contravention of the express provisions of the Deed of Agreement, and are therefore null and void,” ODM stated.

The party has now asked the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties to suspend any actions arising from the disputed meeting until the coalition agreement is fully observed.

“We formally request your office to suspend and freeze any action arising from the said meeting pending strict compliance with the Deed of Agreement and the applicable legal framework,” the letter concluded.

The dispute comes days after Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka issued a statement confirming his appointment as Party Leader of the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition.

In his statement on Tuesday, February 3, Kalonzo said he had accepted the role and thanked Azimio’s leadership and constituent parties for the trust placed in him.

“I graciously accept my appointment as Party Leader of Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition. I thank our chairman, President Uhuru Kenyatta, the coalition leadership, and all constituent parties for this trust,” he said.

Kalonzo also congratulated other leaders appointed to various positions and said the coalition remains committed to justice, inclusivity, and national renewal.

“This is bigger than any individual; it is about Kenya. Together, we will offer principled leadership focused on rebuilding and renewing our nation,” he added.