The party was launched by William Ruto, in conjunction with several Kenyan politicians allied to a faction of Orange Democratic Movement opposed to Raila Odinga, as their vehicle for the March 2013 general elections. The party's launch was announced after a week of meetings on 15 January 2012.[1] In December, William Ruto and the leaders of several other political parties, signed a pre-election coalition deal, in which Ruto became a running mate for Uhuru Kenyatta and URP received half the spoils of an election victory.[2] The party subsequently joined the Jubilee Alliance, which nominated Kenyatta for the presidency.