ODM to state: Stop abductions, honour March 7 pact

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s ODM party has criticised the government, calling for an immediate end to what it described as the unjustified use of force against citizens.

In a statement posted on its official X account, ODM said the alleged incidents undermine the cooperation agreement signed with the ruling UDA party on March7.

The party also raised concerns over reported abductions involving Kenyan youth, following the recent arrest and subsequent death of teacher Albert Ojwang.

Ojwang was arrested in Homa Bay on June 7 and died hours later under unclear circumstances while in police custody at Nairobi Central Police Station.

“Stop harming Kenyans. Stop targeting the youth. End the abductions… This is not in line with what was agreed on March 7. We must promote cohesion, not division,” read the ODM statement on X.

This is the first time the ODM party has issued such a strongly worded statement on the matter, amid growing public concern.

The statement came just hours after youth demonstrators took to the streets of Nairobi on Thursday, calling for the resignation of Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat.

The Orange Democratic Movement further warned that it could reconsider its engagement with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) if thorough investigations into Ojwang’s death are not conducted.

Speaking in the Senate on June 10, ODM Deputy Party Leader and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi said the party was open to withdrawing from the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with UDA, which was intended to support the formation of a broad-based government.

“The postmortem conducted so far suggests that the young man died from neck compression, and the injuries may have resulted from torture. We are demanding proper answers from the police,” said Senator Osotsi.

Ojwang’s death in custody has drawn political attention, with ODM lawmakers calling for an immediate and independent investigation.

On March 7, President William Ruto and Raila Odinga signed an MoU listing ten priority areas to be addressed under their working framework, including a shared commitment to addressing Kenya’s social, economic, and political challenges, with a focus on protecting youth livelihoods.