According to available sources of news, the political honeymoon between leading political giants, UDA and ODM appears to be hitting a rocky patch faster than many anticipated.
What began as a strategic broad-based cooperation to stabilize the country is now facing a high-stakes litmus test: the battle for the Deputy Presidency.
The tension has reached a boiling point following recent declarations from ODM leaders. The message from the Orange party’s camp is blunt that they aren’t just looking for minor cabinet slots, they want a seat at the very top.
Specifically, Fatuma Gedi, Wanga, Junet , Oburu and other vocal members have signaled that the next Deputy President should be a woman from within the ODM ranks.
This isn't just a request, it’s being framed as a core demand for the ongoing UDA-ODM negotiations.
However, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki isn't backing down. Responding to these demands, Kindiki has dismissed the noise as small things,.asserting that the DP position is non-negotiable.
His confidence stems from a position of incumbency and the backing of the Kenya Kwanza core, who view the DP seat as a settled matter.
By labeling himself and his allies masters of politics, Kindiki is essentially telling ODM to manage their expectations or risk the entire partnership.
This tug-of-war creates a significant logical hurdle for the broad-based government experiment because UDA views ODM as a partner brought in to help govern, not to replace the existing executive hierarchy.
On the other part, internal pressure that If UDA concedes too much to ODM, they risk a fallout with their original mountain-base supporters.
On the same line, ODM’s push for a female DP adds a layer of identity politics that makes it harder for UDA to dismiss without appearing regressive.