The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has formally rejected recent leadership changes within the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition, describing them as illegal and in breach of the coalition’s founding agreement.
In a statement issued by ODM Executive Director Oduor Ong’wen, the party said its attention had 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.”
Ong’wen said the meeting violated the coalition’s Deed of Agreement, particularly Article 6(A)(1), which clearly outlines how the Coalition Council is constituted and how appointments and removals should be carried out.
“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,” Ong’wen said.
He quoted the agreement directly, noting that: “The Coalition Council shall comprise of eleven (11) members and the Secretary General of the party, representing the Secretariat, appointed by the Party Leaders of the Coalition constituent parties. The Chairperson, Party Leader, Deputy Party Leader and members of the Coalition Council shall, at the execution of this Deed of Agreement… be agreed upon by the Party Leaders of the Jubilee Party, the Orange Democratic Movement, the Wiper Democratic Movement and the authorised representative(s) of the Mwanzo Mpya Caucus.”
According to ODM, this means that the authority to appoint or remove any member of the Coalition Council, including the Secretary General, does not lie with a single leader or with the Council acting on its own.
“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,” Ong’wen stated.
“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 further said its party leader, one of the four signatories recognised under the Deed of Agreement, was not involved in the decisions.
“It is our considered position that the Party Leader of the Orange Democratic Movement, an expressly named and key constituent party under the Deed of Agreement, was neither informed nor involved in the purported changes,” Ong’wen said.
As a result, ODM declared the meeting and its resolutions invalid.
“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,” the statement reads.
ODM has now asked that all actions flowing from the disputed meeting be halted.
“In the circumstances, 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,” Ong’wen said.
He concluded by stating:“We look forward to your prompt response on this matter.”
Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition is a multi-party political alliance formed through a legally binding Deed of Agreement signed by its constituent parties, including ODM, Jubilee Party, Wiper Democratic Movement and the Mwanzo Mpya Caucus. The agreement establishes the Coalition Council as the alliance’s highest governing organ and defines how leadership positions are filled or vacated.
ODM’s statement now throws the legality of the recent Azimio leadership changes into question, setting the stage for a potential legal and political showdown over the control and direction of the opposition coalition.
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