President William Ruto on Friday took his charm offensive to Kisumu, mounting a spirited appeal to the electorate to embrace a pre-election pact between his United Democratic Alliance Party (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) as the foundation of the next government.
The President’s outreach comes against the backdrop of simmering divisions within ODM, where the question of whether to immediately engage UDA in negotiations or hold off until closer to the General elections has exposed deep fault lines within the party.
The internal rift has been further amplified by a tussle over who should steer the talks, with one camp pushing for party leader, Dr Oburu Oginga, to take the lead, while another insists the decision be subjected to the will of members through a special National Delegates Conference.
Even as ODM sends mixed signals on its political direction, Dr Ruto has opted to bypass party boardrooms and take his message directly to the grassroots, courting Kisumu residents, long regarded as a stronghold of Raila Odinga, to warm up to a new political rapprochement between the country’s two dominant political formations.
And on Friday, he was in Kisumu to do exactly that, saying it was the only way to rid the country of politics of ethnicity, discrimination and division.
“Today I am asking your permission, the people of Kisumu, to allow UDA and ODM to work together and form the next government. Allow me to sit down and talk with Dr Oburu Oginga and plan a new government to get rid of ethnicity and bad leadership,” said Dr Ruto.
He was speaking in Kondele, where he was received warmly by an ecstatic crowd that had been waiting for him since 6.30 am, and later addressed a roadside rally at the Kisumu Bus Park.
Earlier, he had attended the fifth graduation ceremony of Uzima University and later inspected the ongoing affordable housing project in Kanyakwar in Kisumu East.
Last week, during the UDA National Governing Council meeting at State House, Nairobi, the president said that his planned pre-election coalition with ODM would secure him a landslide victory of up to three million votes against the opposition in 2027.
According to him, the proposed deal would significantly expand the ruling alliance’s national support base, widening his winning margin from about 200,000 votes in 2022 to between two and three million.
There have been concerns that the strong push for a pre-election pact was overshadowing the 10-point agenda agreed upon between President Ruto and the veteran opposition leader, who died on October 15 last year.
President William Ruto and Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba during Uzima University's 5th graduation ceremony in Kisumu County.
Photo credit: PCS
And in Kisumu, leaders asked the president to ensure the issue of compensation for victims of protest-related violence is addressed even as the talks continue, since it is this region that has borne the brunt of violence over the years.
The president gave an assurance, despite the courts dealing the process a blow by declaring the establishment of a task force to compensate victims of violence unconstitutional, affirming that the mandate lies with the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).
“Even if they went to court to block this, I will ensure that everyone who lost his life or got injured while fighting for his rights will be compensated because you people are heroes of democracy in Kenya,” said Dr Ruto.
He said he is a specialist in forming governments, dismissing his competitors as lacking an agenda, and declared that he would floor them in the next presidential election very early in the morning.
He stated that nobody will be elected based on looks, ethnicity or theatrics, and that every leader should come and say what he or she has done for the people.
“In Kisumu and Kenya as a whole, every leader will be elected based on his or her own performance record. Let the leaders come before the people so that they are assessed based on what they delivered while in office,” said Dr Ruto.
He added: “When I come here, I will also list the development programmes I implemented. The other people in the opposition are still organising a seminar, or is it a retreat, to choose their candidate. I am telling them to tell us their agenda, not saying Kasongo, one term and must go.”
He drummed up support for his affordable housing project, saying it had created employment for many youths in the country.
“That other team with leaders full of ethnicity say they will come and stop this affordable housing programme. That is why I am telling them to have some vision and stop the theatrics. Nobody will stop this programme that is employing many youths,” said Dr Ruto.
Among leaders from Kisumu County who accompanied the president were Interior Principal Secretary Dr Raymond Omollo, Kisumu Deputy Governor Dr Mathew Owili, Migori Governor Ochillo Ayacko, MPs Dr James Nyikal (Seme), Rozah Buyu (Kisumu West), Shakeel Shabir (Kisumu East), Dr Joshua Oron (Kisumu Central), Mr Jared Okello (Nyando), Mr Aduma Owuor (Nyakach) and Rarieda’s Dr Otiende Amollo.
The leaders assured the president that they had sat and agreed that Dr Oginga would engage with him on how to form the government next year.
Mr Okello praised Dr Ruto as being among the few presidents who have considered the once-marginalised Nyanza region for development.
“Ruto has consistently exhibited equity in distribution of national resources away from those who have always told us that the government belongs to shareholders. We have given Oburu the power and mandate to negotiate with UDA only; we have no luxury of time to entertain any other person in the next election,” said Mr Okello.
“Those people should not scare you that they come from a community with the highest number of voters. The Nyanza region will support you and, on top of development, you will definitely get a second term,” said Mr Ayacko.
Dr Owili lauded the president for building bridges for peace in the country so that the youth are employed and the economy is improved.
It was he and Ms Buyu who asked the president to consider the issue of compensation for post-election violence victims.
The president will return to Kisumu on Monday to launch a Sh450 million Nyota programme for the youth.
