Olekina: How Raila convinced me to work with Ruto

Narok Senator Ledama Olekina has disclosed that a personal appeal by the late Raila Odinga played a major role in changing his attitude towards President William Ruto, revealing how the former ODM leader persuaded him to support cooperation with the government despite his earlier opposition to the Head of State.

Olekina said his decision to work with Ruto was influenced by Raila's determination to bring political leaders together and pursue development rather than allow political rivalries to stand in the way of progress.

Speaking during Citizen TV's Sunday Live programme, the senator recalled how Raila visited his home and asked him to mobilise approximately 300 Maasai people for consultations on the proposed partnership with the President.

He said Raila explained his intention to work with Ruto and sought their backing before the two political sides moved forward with the arrangement.

“Raila came to my home; he asked me to bring about 300 Maasai. He consulted with us, and he told us he wanted to work with Ruto so that we could come together. When he consulted with us, we agreed to be able to work with Ruto,” he said.

The senator maintained that the decision to cooperate with the Kenya Kwanza administration had brought tangible benefits to Narok, particularly through the construction and improvement of roads in previously underserved rural areas.

He argued that some communities that had gone for years without proper road infrastructure were now experiencing development because political leaders agreed to work together with the national government.

“By cooperating with Ruto, today we have tarmacked roads, no one would have thought that a rural part of Kenya, where its only the Maasai who roam around and there’s a road. It only happened when we cooperated with William Ruto.”

Olekina's change of position follows the decision by ODM to engage UDA in negotiations over a possible political partnership ahead of the 2027 General Election.

He said the two parties are currently working through a joint technical team tasked with developing a shared manifesto to guide their cooperation.

However, the Narok senator insisted that ODM must retain its political standing in the proposed arrangement, arguing that the party should negotiate with UDA as an equal partner rather than accept a subordinate position.

Olekina has increasingly defended Ruto's development record since 2025, publicly supporting several flagship projects undertaken by the Kenya Kwanza administration.

Among the initiatives he has backed are affordable housing, road construction, stadium development and the Narok International Airport, which he has cited while praising the government's efforts to transform the country.

His support for the administration, however, has not stopped him from questioning decisions he considers wasteful.

In September 2025, Olekina took issue with frequent State House luncheons, arguing that the gatherings consumed public resources without delivering meaningful economic benefits.

He challenged the President to suspend county visits and State House lunches for 100 days, proposing digital town halls as an alternative way of engaging Kenyans.

"You may not like what I have to say, but I’ll say it anyway: State House lunches [equals] waste of public funds. Bus rides, per diems, and buffets don’t build roads or jobs," Ole Kina stated on his X in September 2025.

"Mr. President, pause county visits & State House lunches for 100 days—embrace digital town halls. End the politics of plates, embrace the politics of the future.”

The senator's latest comments offer an account of how Raila's efforts to bring ODM and UDA closer influenced his political outlook, with Olekina now arguing that cooperation with the government has helped advance development in Narok.