Ruto accused of dragging feet in executing NADCO report

President William Ruto has delayed the implementation of the 10-Point Agenda, originally intended to compile a plan on governance reforms, including recommendations from the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report.

Since the establishment of the committee to oversee the implementation of the 10-Point Agenda and the NADCO report, christened COIN-10, five months ago, little progress has been made, sparking political skepticism about the committee’s ability to deliver its report by March this year.

Sources indicate that the Agnes Zani-chaired committee was deliberately underfunded and lacked resources and political goodwill to undertake its mandate. The death of Raila Odinga, who co-signed the memorandum of understanding with President Ruto, further complicated matters, as the president thereafter took unilateral control over the committee’s direction.

It has also emerged that the 10-Point Agenda was unilaterally drawn by ODM leaders on March 7, 2025, after Raila rejected a power-sharing memorandum prepared by UDA and delivered for signing by Suna East MP Junet Mohammed.

“They sent Junet with a document listing a few Cabinet and Principal Secretary positions, expecting Baba to sign blindly. He took time to read through it and returned it because it lacked the reform agenda issues that had been discussed,” said a senior ODM Nairobi branch official.

ODM was taken aback when Junet returned to say UDA had agreed they proceed to draft the document, which was prepared at Senator Edwin Sifuna’s residence by Gladys Wanga, Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, Sifuna, and others.

“It appears from the beginning, President Ruto and UDA were not keen on resolving these issues. Their aim was simply to secure ODM’s support,” the official added.

It took the president five months to issue the joint communique signed with Raila at KICC, creating a five-member committee chaired by Zani, mandated to collect and collate views from Kenyans before producing a report. However, the Kenya Kwanza government allegedly used delaying tactics, rendering the committee largely ineffective until recently, when it appeared publicly to meet Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, likely for optics as talks between UDA and ODM gained momentum.

The meeting followed an ODM Central Management Committee gathering in Kilifi, which agreed to collaborate with UDA.

Among the committee’s responsibilities were compensation for victims of police brutality—which only the Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC) can handle—and auditing public debt, also outside its remit.

The committee, tasked with overseeing full implementation of the NADCO report, ensuring inclusivity in budgetary allocations and appointments, strengthening devolution, promoting youth investment, integrity, and ending opulence, has remained largely moribund with no tangible results.

It was also expected to propose measures to protect the right to peaceful assembly, compensate rights victims, audit national debt, fight corruption, stop public resource wastage, and protect sovereignty by preventing abductions, upholding constitutionalism, and respecting press freedom.

The committee was further to seek public views on NADCO recommendations, including auditing the 2022 electoral process, extending timelines for resolving presidential election petitions, establishing the Office of the Opposition, instituting the Office of the Prime Minister, and entrenching the NG-CDF in the constitution.

Since its establishment on August 15, last year, the committee has only held one public engagement, issuing a press statement announcing the start of public consultations, then remained largely silent until resurfacing on December 4, at a retreat in Machakos to review progress. Three days ago, they reported to Koskei on steps taken since their last meeting, including preparations for stakeholder consultations across state and non-state actors.

According to Koskei, the committee presented a memorandum detailing areas requiring responses from the Office of the Head of Public Service regarding the 10-Point Agenda.

In their August 15, statement, the committee said it would engage members of the public and stakeholders on governance issues. “We shall look for mechanisms to ensure successful implementation of the NADCO report and the 10-Point Agenda across existing policies, legislative measures, and administrative processes,” said Zani. 

Stakeholders included government departments, independent institutions, civil society, trade unions, religious institutions, academia, youth groups, persons with disabilities, women, and minority communities.

However, engagement plans stalled due to Raila’s death. “We apologise to Kenyans for failing to kickstart stakeholder engagement in October, but we all understand the calamity that befell our nation, the death of Raila,” said committee member Gabriel Oguda.

Despite this, Oguda expressed confidence the committee would meet its March deadline. “When you want to cut a tree, you spend 90 minutes sharpening an axe and the rest cutting it,” he said, dismissing claims of underfunding.

Analysts and critics argue the committee is unlikely to deliver a report, created mainly to manage political tensions within ODM. Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said Ruto had no intention of implementing the agenda despite ODM’s insistence. “Oburu is waiting for Ruto to implement the 10-Point Agenda; he will wait longer. If he were serious, he would mobilise funds and direct leaders to fast-track its implementation,” he said, warning ODM operatives against continued closeness with Ruto.

Political analyst Dr Charles Nganga of JKUAT noted that the government only recognises the committee when ODM demands progress.

“Whenever ODM raises issues about implementation, the government acts quickly to fund the committee. When it goes silent, it is forgotten. This implies it was created to manage political temperatures,” he said.

Nganga argued the committee’s main purpose was political optics rather than substantive reform. “Before NADCO, we had other reports such as the Building Bridges Initiative—where are they? Could it be that Ruto intends to use this report to buy time while plotting for re-election?” he asked.

The 10-Point Agenda and NADCO report remain largely unimplemented, raising concerns over political commitment and the effectiveness of government oversight.