Sifuna tightens grip on Western as presidential bid gathers steam

President William Ruto and his allies may have to go back to the drawing board to recapture the vote-rich Western region as Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and the Linda Mwananchi brigade tighten their grip on the bloc, steadily expanding their influence, attracting new allies and bolstering their grassroots support as Sifuna's presidential bid gathers momentum.

The battle for the bloc intensified yesterday as the Sifuna-led team mounted another charged and aggressive campaign to consolidate the region behind his presidential bid and lock out President Ruto and his allies.

Sifuna, through the Linda Mwananchi movement, held a series of rallies on Saturday in Sabatia, Butere, Isulu in Ikolomani, Shinyalu and Kakamega town, drawing large and enthusiastic crowds as he sought to position himself as a leading presidential contender from the region. And in a boost for the outfit, mobilizer and DCP Deputy Party leader Cleophas Malala joined the campaign trail of Linda Mwananchi.

The Nairobi senator used the meetings to attack the Kenya Kwanza administration over what he termed poor governance, social injustice, dwindling democracy, the high cost of living and misplaced development priorities, while urging the Luhya community to seek nothing less than the presidency in 2027.

He said the time had come for Western Kenya to consolidate its political voice and negotiate for power from a position of strength rather than continue supporting presidential candidates without securing a meaningful stake in government.

Sifuna also sought the backing of senior Luhya leaders, particularly Cooperatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya, whom he described as his political elder and father.

The senator appealed to Oparanya to bless his presidential ambitions and support the emerging generation of leaders even if he differs from his kind of politics, values and philosophy.

“I have much respect for my elder and father, Wycliffe Oparanya, whom we were with in ODM. However, I don't need money or anything else but wisdom for my presidential bid,” said Sifuna.

He used the traditional circumcision rite as a metaphor for political succession, saying senior leaders should not block younger politicians seeking to rise to national leadership.

“When your boy comes to you as a father and tells you that he wants to be circumcised to become a man, you cannot stop him. I am telling Oparanya that he cannot come in the way of my becoming president and young people ascending to power. Bless me and my work will be easy to look after you as an elder,” he said

Sifuna also appealed to Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli and other influential leaders to support his presidential quest.

He said his campaign was not about seeking financial support from senior politicians but about obtaining their political goodwill and wisdom.

The senator used the rallies to mount a broad attack on the Affordable Housing Programme, arguing that the Government should prioritise healthcare, medicines and other basic services.

He said the Government should focus on projects that directly improve the lives of ordinary citizens instead of imposing programmes that, in his view, do not reflect their priorities.

“The Government should focus on issues that directly affect ordinary Kenyans instead of imposing projects that do not address their priorities,” he said.

Sifuna said the 2027 election would be a referendum on the cost of living, government priorities and what he described as the failure of the Kenya Kwanza administration to deliver on its promises.

He also accused President Ruto of undermining democratic freedoms and said restoring democracy and social justice would be at the heart of his political agenda.

“I am a lawyer and Ruto is asking us what our agenda is. I want to tell him that our agenda is to restore democracy and social justice where our people can speak freely without hearing of being abducted in Subaru vehicles like the way he did to Albert Ojwang from Homa Bay,” said Sifuna.

But the Kakamega rallies were not solely about President Ruto.

Much of the political rhetoric was directed at Luhya leaders working with the President, particularly Oparanya, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula and Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa.

The attacks highlighted the central political question facing Western Kenya ahead of the 2027 election: whether the region can develop a common political position or whether its vote will again be divided among competing national formations.

Oparanya has increasingly featured in political discussions surrounding President Ruto's 2027 succession strategy, amid speculation that he could be considered for the running mate position.

Sifuna and his allies, however, accused the President's camp of dangling the position before Oparanya as a strategy to divide the Western Kenya vote.

“Oparanya is an important leader in this region. As our father, we are asking him and other regional leaders to endorse our bid and help us unite the people of Western Kenya,” Sifuna said.

Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya backed the call for regional unity and urged the Luhya community to establish its own political home.

“It is our time to have a president and our party so that Sifuna can be able to work with Rigathi Gachagua from Central, Kalonzo Musyoka from Eastern and Fred Matiang'i from Abagusii land. This is the time for our people to come together, not to run in different directions when it is our time,” he said.

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale also trained his guns on Oparanya, accusing him of working to advance President Ruto's interests in Western Kenya.

“The region has decided to rally behind Sifuna for the presidency because the region has before held deputy president positions,” he said.

Khalwale also invoked the 2002 political alliance that saw Western Kenya largely support the late Michael Kijana Wamalwa as President Mwai Kibaki's running mate.

“We want to urge our people to rally behind Sifuna like the 2002 moment when the entire region rallied behind the late Kijana Wamalwa,” he said.

Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi also called on Oparanya to abandon what he described as political alliances that had disadvantaged Luhya leaders.

The political offensive comes against the backdrop of Western Kenya's considerable electoral weight.

IEBC figures show that Kakamega, Vihiga, Bungoma, Busia and Trans Nzoia had a combined 2.62 million registered voters in the 2022 General Election.

Kakamega had 844,551 registered voters, Bungoma 646,598, Busia 416,756, Trans Nzoia 398,981 and Vihiga 310,043.

The figures make Western Kenya one of the most strategically important voting blocs in the presidential contest.

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka urged opposition leaders to put aside personal ambitions and unite ahead of 2027.