President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga on Friday, March 7 signed a political cooperation deal that will see the leaders of the two biggest political parties in the country work together.

Below are the 10 points of the much anticipated deal:

The full implementation of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report

Priority issues in the NADCO process like the cost of living, youth unemployment, establishing a framework for the implementation of the two-thirds gender rule have been the topics of discussion for far too long and must be actualised now.

Inclusivity in all spheres of public life

Kenya belongs to all persons regardless of their ethnicity, religion, generation, or geographic location. All Kenyans are equal and all are entitled to an equitable budgetary resource allocation and opportunities in public appointments.

Further, though the Constitution of Kenya is clear on the rights of minorities and marginalised people in the country, not enough has been done almost 15 years later to uphold these rights by fully implementing the provisions of the Constitution.

Protecting and strengthening devolution

Devolution must continue to be protected from any possibility of claw back on devolved functions, and more effort must be put at devolving all funds allocated to a devolved function, increasing budgetary allocation to counties and ensuring the timely and predictable disbursement of devolved funds.

Promoting and protecting the livelihoods of young people

Urgent and massive investment must be made in all high potential sectors of the economy including mining, blue economy, agriculture and ICT. To create sufficient employment opportunities that provide ways for young people to earn a decent living, nationwide economic stimulus programs must be initiated.

Young people must also be mainstreamed in all political spaces to bring their voices to the table and their participation to the centre of all activities.

Leadership and integrity

Kenyans are concerned by the expression of opulence accompanied by rude and arrogant conduct by public officers and the apparent impunity that has followed the same. It must be enforced that the demeanour of public servant needs to reflect the dignity of the office and the respect owed by them to the citizens of Kenya.

We must also urgently provide a legal and institutional framework for addressing conflict of interest among public servants.

The right to peaceful assembly and protests under Article 37 and compensation of all pending claims of abuse and derogation of this right

Derogation of the right to peaceful assembly and protest remains one of the shameful realities of the excesses of Kenya’s law and order responses since independence. The effort to uphold this right must now involve not just the taking of responsibility by officers who break the law but also by the compensation of the victims of these derogations.

An amnesty must be granted to those who are charged for offenses based on their exercise of their right to peaceful assembly. The National Police Service must update their methods and processes of dealing with demonstrations and assemblies when they are held and particularly when they have to be managed or contained.

The National Debt

An urgent audit must be conducted of how much has been borrowed in the past and how it has been used. Going forward, we must stop the ballooning of the national debt and ensure accountability for future borrowing. Lastly, we must ensure that money borrowed is used in a manner that grants an equitable benefit to all Kenyans in every region of the country since payments are made by all from taxes regardless of their locations.

The fight against Corruption

Kenya needs to move from talk to action. We must move from the fight against corruption to winning the war against corruption. We must enhance the capacity of the institutions that enforce accountability, and particularly the offices of the Auditor General, the Controller of Budget and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.

Stopping wastage of public resources and promoting government efficiency

A new ethos of public expenditure in both national and county governments must be inculcated in a manner that promotes austerity, justification and effectiveness in the use of public resources.

Protecting and promoting sovereignty of the people, the Rule of Law and Constitutionalism

The Rule of Law requires the government and its officers to obey court orders and only challenge the validity of judicial pronouncements through legal processes. The spectre of abductions and extra-judicial killings do not bode well for democracy. Suppression of constitutional freedoms including free speech, expression, assembly and media must stop.

Furthermore, political parties being key pillars of democratic participation must be strengthened. The two leaders resolve to respect the identity and integrity of all political parties and to ensure respect and implementation of the provisions of the Political Parties Act.

The dialogue and collaboration between the two leaders shall be achieved by holding regular consultations on pressing issues of interest to the people of Kenya, and exchanging expertise and information on best practices in the governance of the country.