Speaking during a meeting on Monday, the officials said their political future would not be dictated by party hardliners opposed to the broad-based government arrangement between President Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
They insisted that supporting the President was a personal and political choice driven by development interests and the need for national stability.
The group took direct aim at ODM leaders who have publicly opposed the broad-based government, including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino. They accused the two of undermining party unity by constantly attacking the arrangement with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“If you cannot support the broad-based government, then the honourable thing to do is to quit ODM,” one official said. “We cannot remain in the same party while some leaders are busy fighting a government that our party leadership has chosen to work with.”
The officials argued that ODM had entered a new political phase that required flexibility and cooperation across party lines, adding that President Ruto’s administration offered opportunities to address long-standing development challenges in ODM strongholds.
They further stated that joining UDA was not a betrayal of ODM supporters but a strategic move aimed at ensuring regions aligned to the party benefit from government projects and national resources.
The remarks are likely to deepen divisions within ODM, which has in recent months witnessed growing tension between leaders supporting cooperation with the government and those pushing for a hardline opposition stance.
Political analysts say the public declaration signals possible defections ahead of 2027 and highlights the growing influence of the broad-based government arrangement on party politics.
ODM’s top leadership is yet to issue an official response, but the statements are expected to intensify debate within the party on its direction as the next election cycle approaches.