The ‘Linda Mwananchi’ faction of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has accused the government of trying to obscure human rights failures and weaken constitutional freedoms through a report on the implementation of the political cooperation pact with President William Ruto.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna on Wednesday dismissed a progress report on the UDA–ODM 10-point agenda, presented at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), describing it as a “charade” intended to mislead the public on the state of reforms.
“The report is a charade meant to hoodwink the public into believing that the memorandum of understanding has been implemented, when it is obvious to all Kenyans that nothing could be further from the truth,” Sifuna said, referring to the memorandum of understanding signed between President Ruto and the late former prime minister Raila Odinga.
The Linda Mwananchi faction released an alternative report that highlights unresolved issues surrounding police accountability, protest rights, and alleged abuses during demonstrations. The group argues that these matters remain unaddressed despite commitments made under the political pact.
Suba South Member of Parliament Caroli Omondi, presenting the faction’s findings, said that Kenyans have yet to witness meaningful justice for victims of police brutality during recent protests.
“Compensation for victims of police brutality during demonstrations has not been done,” Omondi said.
“We are told there will be two billion shillings in a supplementary budget. But who determined the number of victims? Who determined the value of their injuries? Where is justice and accountability?”
Omondi also expressed concern that proposals discussed under the political process could pave the way for new legal restrictions on demonstrations, a move he said would clash with constitutional protections.
“The Constitution already guarantees the right to demonstrate,” he said.
“When we hear talk about a new law to ‘protect victims of demonstrations,’ we fear it is a euphemism for regulating or limiting protests.”
The disagreement follows a joint parliamentary meeting between the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and sections of ODM, where President Ruto defended the cooperation framework and the report on the 10-point agenda.
Ruto criticized detractors who had “appointed themselves supervisors” of the pact, emphasizing that the commitments were made for Kenyan citizens rather than individual politicians.