How Ruto balanced ODM ties and UDA loyalty at ODM Founders Dinner

President William Ruto struck a careful political balance as he graced the ODM Founders Dinner on Saturday, perfectly balancing renewed calls to rejoin the party he helped establish while remaining loyal to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

From what he wore to his words, everything was carefully selected for the occasion with the president blending humour and diplomacy to address weighty political issues.

The past meets the present & the future in Ruto’s fashion

Ruto opted for a symbolic blend of colours that reflected his long-standing ties with ODM while also acknowledging his current political home and embracing the possibility of future collaboration.

He joked that his choice of the yellow Kaunda suit for the dinner was intentional to assure UDA members that despite attending a political event convened by a different party, his loyalty remains to his current political home.

The President explained that the orange hat was a reflection of his historical ties with ODM and an indication of his support for the broad-based government crafted in the wake of last year’s deadly protest with the inclusion of ODM loyalists in the cabinet.

I knew the UDA members would think I had left them, so I decided to wear yellow so that they could see I was still with them. But I had to mix with orange so that they can see I am still broad-based. I hear the Ukambani colour is also yellow, so I started in Kitui, then I came here

Calls to rejoin ODM especially in the wake of Raila’s death

While responding to ODM Deputy Party Leader Simba Arati, who urged the Head of State to return to the party he helped build, Ruto turned to humour and diplomacy to convey his position.

Arati has on several occasions invited ODM founding members including President Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka to return to the party and chart a new political path.

“As the deputy party leader, we have told President William Ruto to come back to ODM. We also want to tell Uhuru Kenyatta and even Kalonzo, who was also in ODM, to come back to honour Raila Odinga by coming back to ODM so that we can win in 2027." Arati said on October 25, 2025.

Ruto's stance

The president tactfully handled the mounting pressure to rejoin the party by assuring members that his administration will provide any support needed to make it flourish especially in the wake of Raila Odinga’s passing.

Earlier today, I was in Kitui, and I knew that when I come for this ODM meeting, Simba Arati will start telling me to join ODM because he is used to saying it.

It is important that the powerful spirit of ODM is given room to flourish, keeping the party united and strong, and protecting it from ever being fragmented. May ODM continue to inspire us to build and stand behind robust, progressive national political parties that serve as a bedrock of our democracy, driving politics of ideology rather than ethnicity or division.

Ruto is a founding member of ODM and at one point served as the deputy party leader before bolting out to United Republican Party.