With Parliament preparing to resume business, leaders of the broad-based coalition are heading to Naivasha for a strategy retreat expected to shape the alliance's next steps in the House, review its political direction and build consensus on key government business.
President William Ruto and ODM leader Oburu Oginga are expected to jointly steer the meeting as the coalition seeks to present a united front.
Members of the National Assembly and the Senate from parties supporting the broad-based administration are expected to start checking into a Naivasha hotel on Sunday evening. The three-day retreat will culminate on Monday when President Ruto and Oburu join the lawmakers for the main session.
Top on the agenda will be aligning the coalition's legislative programme before Parliament returns from recess, with leaders keen to ensure lawmakers from both Houses support the government's priority Bills and policy proposals.
A memo issued by National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohammed on August 4 confirmed the meeting and called on all members of the Parliamentary Group to attend.
“This is to inform all members of the Broad-Based Parliamentary Group that a meeting has been scheduled to take place in Naivasha, Nakuru county from 10th to 11th August, 2026.”
People familiar with the preparations said the retreat is expected to provide a platform for coalition leaders to agree on how government business will be handled in both the National Assembly and the Senate.
“We are primarily putting our focus on harmonising the legislative agenda in both the National Assembly and the Senate as Parliament prepares to tackle a raft of government Bills and policy proposals,” a source told the Star.
“We want to strike a common position on priority legislation and that members move in one direction.”
Beyond legislation, lawmakers are expected to examine how parliamentary committees have been performing, with discussions likely to pave the way for changes in committee leadership.
“Some committee chairs are struggling to spearhead some of the key government programmes under them, we shall also look into that,” the source added.
The expected changes could affect several chairpersons and vice-chairpersons as the coalition moves to match committee leadership with the current political arrangement under the broad-based government.
Even though coalition leaders have not publicly discussed the planned changes, several sources said consultations have been taking place behind the scenes ahead of the Naivasha meeting.
The internal memo also showed that parliamentary business will be discussed alongside matters affecting the coalition itself. Junet said members would receive a detailed programme and agenda during the retreat.
“Parliamentary business and inter-party/coalition affairs will form part of the meeting agenda. A detailed programme and agenda will be circulated separately,” Junet said.
“We look forward to your active participation and valuable contribution to the success of the meeting.”
The retreat comes shortly after the coalition suffered a setback in the Ol-Kalou parliamentary by-election, where its preferred candidate lost to the opposition. The outcome has renewed calls within the alliance for closer coordination and a stronger political strategy ahead of future electoral contests.
Ruto and Oburu are expected to use the meeting to reaffirm their support for the broad-based administration while strengthening cooperation among coalition partners as Parliament resumes its sittings.
The leaders are also expected to review the lessons from the Ol-Kalou contest and explore ways of improving both the coalition's political mobilisation and its effectiveness in Parliament.
The meeting is taking place as competition over President Ruto's running mate continues to gather pace within the coalition. ODM, UDA and Ford Kenya have each expressed interest in the deputy president's slot, with Ford Kenya and a section of Western leaders backing National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula for the position.