Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga was treated to a hostile welcome when he visited Gusii Stadium on Sunday, March 9, 2025.
Raila was greeted with ‘Ruto must go’ and ‘Raila must go’ chants when he stood to speak while other Shabana FC fans stood to leave the stadium.
Raila was in Kisii County alongside Kisii Governor Simba Arati and other senior government and ODM leaders for the official launch of Shabana FC’s new kits.
The heckling comes a day after the ODM party signed a coalition pact with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) to work together in government.
Speaking during the signing ceremony event at KICC on Friday, March 7 2025, President William Ruto reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that Raila is accorded the respect he deserves in the country.
Ruto reminisced about his relationship with Raila and the strong political bond he shares with the former premier acknowledging his efforts and contributions to his political career.
“I called my brother and told him, you have been my brother and party leader, today by God’s grace I am president, I want you to be treated well and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you have respect in Kenya. I am not doing this for any other reason that is selfish to me; I am doing this because I’m a younger person, you are an elder as far as I am concerned by age and the contributions you have made to this country deserves respect and that is the relationship I have built with Raila,” Ruto said.
“I am very clear in my mind that going into the future will take more than Raila and myself; it will take everyone of us to pull this country together and achieve the things that will change Kenya for the better.”
On his side, Raila pledged to address constitutionalism, rule of law and respect for human rights in his pact with the UDA party as well as addressing issues of youth unemployment, cost of living, inequality and failure of institutions.
“We have agreed to use our parties as a broad platform bringing together various voices, opinions and concerns to address the critical challenges facing the country through a formation that is truly inclusive in outlook,” Raila stated.
“We make it clear that the Memorandum we have signed today does not define the formation of a political coalition between ODM and UDA. However, its successful implementation could inform the basis of steps towards the establishment of a constitutive formation of a stable country in future.”
Francis Muli
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