Kenya's Ruto, opposition veteran Odinga sign deal to form "broad-based government"

Kenyan President William Ruto and opposition veteran Raila Odinga on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding, formalizing what has been termed as a “broad-based government” at Nairobi’s Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC). The pact between the United Democratic Alliance, UDA, and the Orange Democratic Movement, ODM, details a framework for collaboration between the country’s two largest political parties. Both parties have pledged to work together on the East African nation’s many challenges including its ballooning debt and corruption. Ruto's popularity has been dwindling after plans for new taxes sparked massive youth-led protests in 2024 that saw at least 60 people killed, according to rights groups. The protests plunged Ruto's government into a crisis, forcing him to join forces with Odinga to form a "broad-based government" last year with several members of his party.