ODM party leader Oburu Odinga sparked laughter at a broad-based government meeting in Naivasha, Nakuru County, after he struggled to read his prepared speech before deciding to abandon the script.
Oburu was addressing leaders during the broad-based government Parliamentary Group meeting when he appeared to have difficulty reading from his speech.
After briefly trying to continue, the ODM leader placed the speech on the lectern and told those present that he was struggling to read it.
“Your Excellency, my eyes are failing me. I will drop this speech,” Oburu said, drawing laughter from the leaders gathered in the hall.
The light moment broke the formality of the meeting before Oburu continued with his address without relying on the written speech.
He went on to reflect on the political changes that have brought former political competitors together under the broad-based government arrangement.
“Two years ago, it would not have been possible to imagine this kind of a mixture in a hall anywhere, because just about two, three years ago, we were serious competitors in a democratic state,” he said.
Oburu said political leaders had previously competed for power but that their political differences did not change their responsibility to the country.
“We were competing, not competing to take power for ourselves. We were competing to take power to the people,” he said.
He said the leaders had gathered to discuss issues affecting the country and chart a way forward ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Oburu said the meeting would provide an opportunity for leaders to review what had been achieved and discuss plans for the future.
“We came here to fraternise. We came here to think about the future of our country,” he said.
He said the leaders would in the following days examine issues affecting the country and discuss measures that could help drive development.
The meeting brought together leaders from different political backgrounds who are now working under the broad-based government arrangement.
Despite the serious political agenda of the gathering, Oburu’s brief struggle with his speech provided one of the lighter moments of the meeting, with those present bursting into laughter before he resumed his address.
While leaving the podium he noted that he would hand over his speech just for reference but he was certain he summarised everything on it drawing another laughter from the audience.
