ODM party leader Oburu Oginga has dismissed as a figment of imagination discussions in the public domain purporting to outline the agenda for the impending talks with their broad-based partner, United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
Speaking on Friday when he met Nyanza church leaders in Kisumu, Oburu said the agenda for the meeting remains a guarded secret for now and will only be made public at a later date.
“Issues being discussed in public are just people thinking aloud. But the agenda is being prepared by our technical team. They are drafting a detailed agenda which will be made public soon—it will not remain a secret,” he said.
The state of affairs between the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and UDA has grown increasingly fragile in recent days, marked by tense relations ahead of the highly anticipated negotiations.
At the centre of the tensions is ODM’s demand for zoning—an arrangement where UDA would refrain from fielding candidates in perceived ODM strongholds—a proposal UDA has firmly rejected.
ODM national chairperson Gladys Wanga has described zoning in party strongholds as a “non-negotiable” condition for any 2027 partnership.
However, UDA secretary general Hassan Omar rejected the demand, insisting that the party has a right to compete nationwide and will not accept restrictions on where it can field candidates.
On Thursday, the ODM Central Committee issued a sharp warning to UDA, accusing some of its senior officials of making “unwarranted public remarks” that have unsettled ODM members, with some calling for an end to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) if the “disrespect” persists.
Amid calls for mutual respect, Oburu clarified that a solution to the differences will be found once the formal negotiations for a 2027 pact start, noting that current engagements remain at a preliminary stage.
“We have not started negotiations as yet. And this thing called zoning is just one of the tools for achieving what we want,” he said.
Oburu, who took over leadership of ODM following the death of his younger brother Raila Odinga in October 2025, maintained that the party is not ready to cede any elective positions in its strongholds to any other party.
“We are going to compete, and we are going to compete very fiercely. What we are saying is that we don’t want to compete with people with whom we are going into partnership,” he added.
UDA has recently been conducting mass recruitment drives, fuelling concerns within ODM that its grassroots influence could be eroded.
Some ODM leaders now fear that UDA is using the broad-based government arrangement to coerce its members and reduce the party into a regional outfit.
While top leadership in both parties appears keen on forging a partnership to secure victory in 2027, lower-level structures remain marked by caution, mistrust and rivalry as they await the start of formal negotiations-STAR.
The National Assembly has dismissed reports that the Sacco Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2025, is being rushed through Parliament, saying the proposed law is still undergoing public participation.
Through infographics shared on Facebook on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Parliament said misleading information had been circulating online about the Bill, formally known as the Sacco Societies (Amendment) Bill, National Assembly Bill No. 32 of 2025.
“Lately, there’s been a lot of misleading information circulating online about the Sacco Societies (Amendment) Bill. Let’s cut through the propaganda with the actual facts,” Parliament said.
Bill was published in June 2025
The National Assembly said the Bill was published on June 30, 2025, and had remained under consideration for more than 12 months.
It rejected suggestions that lawmakers were fast-tracking the proposed amendments without allowing enough time for scrutiny.
According to Parliament, the lengthy period between the publication of the Bill and its current consideration shows that it is not being rushed.
Bill currently before the National Assembly committee
The Sacco Societies Amendment Bill is currently before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.
The committee is conducting public participation and receiving views from members of the public and other stakeholders.
The submissions are expected to help the committee assess the proposed amendments before presenting its recommendations to the National Assembly.
What happens after public participation?
After the public participation process is concluded, the committee will prepare a report containing its findings and recommendations.
Parliament said the views submitted by members of the public and stakeholders could inform further amendments to the Bill.
The proposed legislation will then proceed to the National Assembly for consideration by MPs.
This means the Bill has not yet completed the legislative process and could still be amended based on the submissions received during public participation.
Bill will be forwarded to Senate
The National Assembly also clarified that the Bill will not proceed directly for presidential assent after being passed by MPs.
Because the proposed legislation concerns county governments, it will be forwarded to the Senate for consideration in accordance with the Constitution.
The Senate will be required to consider the Bill before it can complete the parliamentary process and be presented for presidential assent.
Parliament urged members of the public to rely on verified information about the Sacco Societies Amendment Bill instead of unconfirmed reports circulating online-PeopleDaily.Digital.
NAIROBI, Kenya, July 14 – A growing shift towards digital property searches is changing how Kenyans find rental homes, with real estate technology platform Reemio positioning itself as a solution to longstanding challenges.
This included fraudulent listings, costly house searches and limited market transparency.
As younger, tech-savvy consumers turn to online platforms to make purchasing decisions, the company says digitizing the rental process could improve efficiency for both tenants and landlords while lowering transaction costs.
Reemio Head of Business Njoki Kimani said the platform was created to eliminate many of the frustrations associated with conventional house hunting by connecting verified landlords and renters through a digital marketplace.
“Our niche is to solve the problem of house hunting and also bring trust into that process. We use technology to connect renters and landlords,” said Kimani.
Kimani said the platform seeks to address inefficiencies that have traditionally made house hunting expensive and time-consuming.
Instead of physically visiting multiple properties, users can browse verified listings, take virtual tours, compare amenities and access information on additional costs such as water charges, electricity bills and service fees before scheduling physical viewings.
“The digital space has become the next logical place for house hunting. We’re removing the stress of moving from one house to another physically while helping people avoid misleading listings and unnecessary costs.”
Beyond improving convenience for tenants, Reemio argues that technology can help landlords reduce marketing costs, shorten vacancy periods and reach a wider pool of prospective tenants, including Kenyans living abroad.
The company says its platform also generates market data that can help property owners and developers better understand evolving consumer preferences, although its long-term impact will depend on wider adoption of digital property platforms and continued investment in trustworthy online real estate marketplaces-Capitalfm.co.ke.
The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has issued a notice for the provisional registration of two proposed political parties, opening a seven-day window for members of the public to lodge objections.
In a notice published by the Registrar of Political Parties and Chief Executive Officer J.C. Lorionokou, the ORPP announced that the Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) and the People’s Alternative Voice (PAV) are in the process of being provisionally registered under Section 5(2)(a) of the Political Parties Act.
The ORPP, a State office established under Section 33 of the Political Parties Act and Article 260 of the Constitution, said its mandate includes registering and regulating political parties as well as administering the Political Parties Fund.
According to the notice, the Social Democratic Party of Kenya (SDP) has adopted pink, white and sky blue as its official party colours, with the slogan “Change – Mageuzi.” The party’s symbol is the acronym SDP enclosed inside a circle.
The party’s listed founder members are Nyangong’ Duncan Nyumbah, Omwandasi Jared Dishon and Kinyua Mary Wacuka.
The second proposed party, People’s Alternative Voice (PAV), has adopted purple, gold and white as its official colours. Its party symbol is a shofar, while its slogan is “Sauti Mbadala-Haki, Usawa na Maendeleo.”
The founders of PAV are listed as Odenyo John Fitzgerald Elly, Nyando Rachel Mmboga and Ali Hussein Kiplangat.
The Registrar said particulars of the two proposed political parties have been published on the ORPP website to facilitate public scrutiny as required by law.
Any person wishing to oppose the provisional registration of either party has seven days from the date of publication of the notice to submit objections either in writing or in person to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties at Lion Place, Fourth Floor, Waiyaki Way at Karuna Close, Nairobi.
The provisional registration marks the first step in the legal process of establishing a political party in Kenya.
After meeting the statutory requirements set out in the Political Parties Act, including demonstrating national character and fulfilling membership thresholds, the parties may apply for full registration, which grants them legal recognition to field candidates in elections and access benefits available to registered political parties.
Kenya has 91 fully registered political parties. The ORPP’s updated register indicates that, as of January 2026, there were 91 parties that had met the legal requirements for full registration under the Political Parties Act-STAR.