BUSIA, Kenya — Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has warned opposition politicians against assuming that campaign rallies and public appearances alone will be enough to defeat President William Ruto in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking in Butula Constituency, Busia County, during a meeting with UDA grassroots members, Mudavadi said presidential candidates would need more than political slogans to persuade Kenyans to hand them the presidency.
“People are busy dancing on top of podiums and engaging in sloganeering, thinking that this translates to winning the presidency. It takes more; it calls for well-crafted policies, a clear agenda, and a demonstrable track record to convince voters to elect you,” Mudavadi said.
He appeared to be referring to opposition politicians campaigning across Western Kenya, dismissing their visits to several counties as insufficient evidence of electoral support.
“The team that is busy moving from one county to another—today they are seen dancing in Busia, tomorrow they are busy in Kakamega, the following day you meet them in Trans Nzoia, then Vihiga and Bungoma—thinking they have won the presidency, I want to tell them they are only practising to keep fit,” he said.
Mudavadi argued that winning the presidency requires a national coalition capable of meeting the constitutional threshold for election.
Under Article 138 of the Constitution, a presidential candidate must secure more than half of all votes cast and at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in more than half of Kenya’s 47 counties.
Mudavadi used the constitutional threshold to argue that opposition parties would need support well beyond their traditional political strongholds to defeat Ruto.
Mudavadi backs Ruto’s 2027 bid
The Prime Cabinet Secretary said he expected Ruto to secure a second term, attributing the President’s prospects to what he described as the administration’s development record, policies and efforts to promote national unity.
Mudavadi also criticised opposition politicians who, he said, were using ethnic rhetoric and political propaganda to portray the Kenya Kwanza administration as having failed to deliver on its promises.
He cited the government’s expansion of the teaching workforce, the affordable housing programme, health-sector initiatives and road construction as examples of what he described as progress under Ruto.
The claims are part of the government’s political case for re-election and were not independently evaluated during Mudavadi’s address.
He also challenged politicians proposing to reverse government policies to explain what alternative programmes they would implement.
“When you say you will reverse the policies that have led to the employment of an additional more than 76,000 teachers, the progress within the affordable housing programme, the gains in the health sector, the construction of roads and markets among other gains, what is your agenda for the future of this country?” Mudavadi asked.
UDA-ODM alliance
Mudavadi further presented the alliance between the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) within the Broad-Based Government as a key component of Ruto’s re-election strategy.
He said President Ruto would chair a joint UDA-ODM parliamentary meeting in Naivasha on Monday, where leaders would discuss a political and policy roadmap extending beyond the 2027 election.
“We are convening as Broad-Based leadership, both in the executive and in the two houses of parliament. Our Governors will also be part of this crucial meeting to be chaired by President Ruto,” Mudavadi said.
He said the meeting would also seek to harmonise the two parties’ manifestos, arguing that their 2022 campaign platforms had contained areas of significant overlap.
Mudavadi defended the Broad-Based Government arrangement, saying the Kenya Kwanza administration had chosen to work with opposition figures rather than exclude them from government.
“When Kenya Kwanza won, we didn’t push the opposition, then led by ODM as the majority party, away. We embraced them and brought them onboard under the leadership of the late Rt Hon. Raila Odinga to form a united front under broad-based,” he said.
Mudavadi invokes 2022 election figures
Mudavadi also sought to demonstrate the potential electoral strength of the UDA-ODM partnership by comparing the 2022 presidential results of Ruto and the late opposition leader Raila Odinga.
He cited Ruto’s 7,176,141 votes, representing 50.49 per cent, and Odinga’s 6,942,930 votes, representing 48.85 per cent, before arguing that combining the political bases represented by the two camps would give the Broad-Based Government a formidable advantage.
“Even if you take away 3 million votes from that total and give the numbers to the opposition, will this change anything?” he asked.
However, the 2022 voting figures cannot simply be added together to predict the outcome of a future election. Political alliances, voter turnout, candidate choices and regional voting patterns can all change between elections.
Mudavadi nevertheless predicted that the 2027 election would produce a decisive victory for Ruto.
He also called for what he described as a “petition-free” second term for the President.
“Raundi hii ni two term bila petition, two term bila petition,” he said.
Western Kenya projects
Mudavadi also used his appearance in Busia to highlight infrastructure and trade projects that he said would benefit Western Kenya.
He pointed to plans for the Rironi-Mau Summit road corridor to extend towards Malaba and the proposed expansion of the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha through Narok and Kisumu towards the Uganda border.
He said the projects would improve transport links between Western Kenya, Nairobi, the Port of Mombasa and Uganda.
“We want our traders and farmers to get their products for export at the port of Mombasa faster through the SGR,” Mudavadi said.
He also highlighted the importance of cross-border trade between Kenya and Uganda, describing Uganda as Kenya’s largest trading partner within the East African region.
“For over 63 years, we have had policies that have affected our cross-border trade, and we want to change. Our people in the border counties, including Busia, must benefit from these arrangements,” he said.
Mudavadi further defended government plans to address flooding in Budalangi and reduce barriers to cross-border trade, arguing that such initiatives would strengthen the region’s economy.
Opposition faces test ahead of 2027
Mudavadi’s remarks underline the increasingly political nature of preparations for the 2027 General Election, with both the government and opposition blocs seeking to consolidate support across regions.
Also Read: Ruto pledges free and fair 2027 election, warns against tribal politics
For the opposition, the challenge will be to build a coalition capable of meeting the constitutional requirements for a presidential victory while presenting voters with a coherent alternative to the Ruto administration.
For the ruling side, the focus will be on translating its record in government and the Broad-Based Government alliance into sustained voter support.
With the election still ahead, neither side can claim victory based solely on current rallies, political alliances or polling patterns.
Mudavadi was accompanied by Busia Governor Paul Otuoma, Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka, Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula and MPs Mary Emase, John Waluke, Fred Ikana, David Ndakwa and Dan Wanyama.
Former MPs Sakwa Bunyasi and Alfred Agoi, Kenyan diplomat Petronillah Were and UDA National Vice Chair Kelvin Lunani also attended the meeting.
