Why Ruto Nyanza tour is strategic wager for 2027 polls

President William Ruto’s four-day tour of Nyanza ahead of the Madaraka Day celebrations has been hailed as a significant political manoeuvre aimed at consolidating support in the region traditionally aligned with opposition leader Raila Odinga.
The visit, which included the launch of several development projects and the homecoming ceremonies of key Cabinet Secretaries from the region, underscores Ruto’s strategy to broaden his political base in preparation for the 2027 general elections.
The tour commenced with Ruto attending the homecoming ceremony of Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi in Homa Bay County. Mbadi, an ally of Raila Odinga, has been appointed to a significant position in Ruto’s government, reflecting the President’s commitment to fostering inclusivity.
“We owe Ruto a lot for his role in helping Raila become Prime Minister in 2008. This collaboration is a continuation of that partnership,” said Mbadi during the event.
Ruto is on a mission to cement a rapport with Raila’s votes rich region, extending olive branches and presenting heavy bag of goodies as the Mt. Kenya region (previously supported him) continues to get slopier as Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua beef us the region to dethrone the UDA chief.
A source intimated to Kurunzi News not any amount of contributions would change the minds of the electorates who feel betrayed especially by Ruto allies from the region whom he say their reelection is already in shipwreck.
“Yes, we pretend to have the ground, but in reality, we lost it long time ago. Even these contributions we are taking there in form of empowerment, it is just photo ops. We fear for our reelection, we underrated Gachagua and now it is haunting us,” the source explained.
President Ruto and ODM Leader Raila Odinga during the launch of Homabay Pier.PHOTO/@Williamruto/X
Following this, President Ruto visited Ugunja in Siaya County, where he attended a similar event for the former Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi. Wandayi, who is now the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, expressed his commitment to the government’s development agenda.
“We are ready to support President Ruto as long as he is cooperating with Raila Odinga,” stated Wandayi.
The President’s itinerary also included the launch of various infrastructure projects, such as roads and educational facilities, aimed at improving the region’s socio-economic landscape. These initiatives are seen as tangible evidence of Ruto’s commitment to development beyond political affiliations.
A Calculated Move?
Raila Odinga’s endorsement of President Ruto’s re-election bid has been a topic of intense political discourse. While some view it as a strategic alliance, others perceive it as a pragmatic approach to ensure the region’s development.
“There is nobody who was born to be in opposition in Kenya. I am holding my post as the minority leader for the next three years. Let those who want to be in opposition start preparing to be in opposition because we will be in the government as ODM,” said National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohammed.
Political analyst Charles Nyambuga told Kurunzi News that Odinga’s support may be a tactical move to secure the region’s interests.
“Raila is tactfully handing over his support bases to Ruto. However, the success of his strategy is highly dependent on the new emerging kingpins from the two regions,” Nyambuga noted.
Homabay Pier.PHOTO/@Williamruto/X
Western demands its share
While Nyanza leaders have largely embraced the broad-based government, leaders from the Western region, particularly from the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), have voiced concerns about equitable representation. Deputy Party Leader Ayub Savula has been vocal in demanding that region gets its fine share of the broad-based arrangement.
“We want our fair share as the people of Western. Since the onset of broad-based government, everything has been going to Raila’s place while giving his people top seats leaving us with Fuliza as our share,”Savula said.
Savula’s sentiments reflect a broader dissatisfaction among some Western leaders who feel that their contributions to the government should be reciprocated with more significant political influence and development projects in their region.
Gachagua bombshell
Despite the outward show of unity, there appears to be an internal rift within the Kenya Kwanza administration.  Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has hinted on a mass exodus ahead of the General Elections.
“This government is a company that has shares. There are owners who have the majority of shares, and those with just a few, while others do not have any,” Gachagua remarked earlier before his ouster.
“Those people are pretending that they are unified. They want to dumb UDA and join our team that is going to liberate this country,”Gachagua said recently during a rally.
Political analyst Herman Manyora warns that such statements could jeopardize the President’s efforts to build a broad-based coalition.
“If there is any political amalgamation between Ruto and Raila, it might cost them in 2027,” Manyora cautioned.
He adds that,”The move must be cemented in terms of bag of goodies that Ruto presents to Raila and you can see they are getting influential seats and many projects are being launched there.
He opines that the success of his administration’s development agenda will play a significant role in shaping public perception and support. Furthermore, the ability to maintain internal cohesion within the Kenya Kwanza government will be essential to present a united front to the electorate.