Premium
Ruto promises free, fair UDA nominations
President William Ruto addresses aspirants for the 2027 General Election at State House, Nairobi on February 04, 2026.
What you need to know:
- The President made the assurance at State House, Nairobi when he hosted 12,353 aspirants who have registered to fly the party ticket.
- President Ruto said the number of aspirants interested in running on the party ticket is a sign of its strong presence on the ground.
President William Ruto has assured more than 12,000 United Democratic Alliance (UDA) aspirants of free and credible party nominations ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The President made the assurance at State House, Nairobi on Wednesday when he hosted 12,353 aspirants who have registered to fly the party ticket.
"I want to give you my personal undertaking that there will be free, fair, credible and democratic nominations for the party," said President Ruto.
UDA Aspirants’ Forum is part of Dr Ruto’s grassroots re-election machinery. The President is keen on putting together alternative foot soldiers for re-election campaigns should some of the UDA’s current elected leaders decamp to other formations.
The forum is designed to create a strong grassroots network for President Ruto’s re-election as well as to gauge the outfit’s influence across the country ahead of the next polls.
Dr Ruto said the number of aspirants interested in running on the party ticket is a sign of its strong presence on the ground.
President William Ruto and Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki arrrive for a meeting with aspirants for the 2027 General Election at State House, Nairobi on February 04, 2026.
“We are strengthening the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) at the grassroots to position it as a truly national and inclusive political party that accommodates every Kenyan and champions a long-term agenda for unity, growth, and shared prosperity.”
“To enhance women inclusion in leadership, we commit to giving women politicians a fair chance in leadership as we work to ensure free, fair, inclusive and democratic nominations,” said Dr Ruto.
“Our party continues to set a new standard in our politics by embracing agenda-based governance that serves Kenyans devoid of tribalism, division, hate, and personality driven politics. As promised in our manifesto, we are transforming the economy from bottom-up, with over 80 per cent of our commitments already delivered,” he added.
Additionally, President Ruto urged women leaders to cease looking down upon their counterparts and instead focus on supporting one another for leadership positions.
He also urged male aspirants to stop undermining the leadership of women, saying all candidates will be given equal opportunity in the party irrespective of gender.
The President told the aspirants to take advantage of the grassroots election to demonstrate their leadership skills ahead of 2027, saying the party was targeting 580,000 officials after the exercise.
"Since I joined politics, I have never seen this high number of aspirants in any political party. This is a clear demonstration that Kenyans are embracing parties with a national outlook and not tribal ones," he said.
President William Ruto, Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki (left) and UDA secretary general Hassan Omar during a meeting with aspirants for the 2027 General Election at State House, Nairobi on February 04, 2026.
Data by the ruling party shows that a total 149 individuals have applied to contest for the 47 governor positions, while 279 are seeking to run for the available 47 senate slots.
In the Woman Representative race, a total of 323 have applied, while the 290 constituencies have attracted 1372 aspirants, with the largest number of 10230 seeking for the party ticket to run for the 1450 wards spread across the country.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki used the meeting to enumerate the government's achievements since 2022. He said the country now has a stable economy compared to 2022.
"The transformation in education, health, agriculture and housing, among others, is a clear indication that it's possible to move Kenya from a third world economy to the first world status in our generation," Prof Kindiki pointed out.
He enumerated the gains the government has made in the economy, agriculture, universal health coverage, affordable housing, job creation, and national.
