President William Ruto’s four-day political tour of Kisii and Nyamira counties this week laid bare tensions between his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party and its partner in the broad-based government, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
UDA supporters alleged that they were attacked and intimidated by political goons linked to a local politician seeking to demonstrate that Kisii County is an ODM stronghold.
Tensions came to a head in Bonchari Constituency, where supporters of Kisii County Woman Representative Doris Aburi were reportedly harassed. The legislator herself was heckled and booed, eventually skipping subsequent meetings addressed by the President, particularly those held in Kisii town.
In the aftermath of the incidents, President Ruto reportedly held an evening meeting on Wednesday at his Kilgoris home with ODM leaders, including Gladys Wanga, Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir, Hassan Joho and his aide Farouk Kibet, to discuss the escalating tensions between the two political parties.
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad later took to social media to share details of the consultations with the President.
During the Gusii rallies, Kisii Governor and ODM Deputy Party Leader Simba Arati sought to clarify the party’s position on its relationship with the ruling UDA.
“We will support President Ruto as the people of Kisii and an ODM stronghold. We are staying in government because that is where the power for change is,” he said.
Kisii Governor Simba Arati addresses traders and residents at Motonto Modern Market during the President's development tour of Kisii County on November 10, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
Mr Arati, however, maintained that ODM would not enter into any political arrangement with UDA ahead of the 2027 General Election blindly or without conditions. He insisted that the party must negotiate clear and favourable terms to protect its political interests.
While advocating cooperation with the government to accelerate development, he also underscored ODM’s formidable independent political base in Nyanza, repeatedly asserting at regional gatherings that the region remains firmly in the party’s hands: “Nyanza ni ODM.”
Meanwhile, victims of the chaos witnessed during the Gusii rallies claimed that UDA supporters mobilised for the events were intimidated and forced to shed their yellow party T-shirts and caps in favour of ODM’s orange colours.
One of the alleged victims, Thomas Onkundi, who spoke in Bonchari, recounted how supporters were compelled to change their attire.
“We were rounded up and forced to remove the yellow T-shirts and caps at the several events held in Bonchari and later at ATC. We had to hide them in our bags. We were ordered to dress in the orange colours,” he said.
The incidents have brought into sharp focus the deepening rivalry between ODM and UDA, fuelled by disagreements over power-sharing arrangements and competing claims to political territory.
President William Ruto addresses members of the public after commissioning the Kisii County Aggregation and Industrial Park at Tongeri in Bomachoge Borabu Constituency.
Photo credit: PCS
Although the gatherings were presented as joint rallies to rally support for President Ruto’s development agenda and re-election bid, some UDA supporters said they felt marginalised and were denied space to express their party identity.
Both parties are now stepping up efforts to consolidate their grassroots support ahead of the August 2027 General Election, raising questions about the durability of their political partnership.
UDA recently concluded ward-level elections across all 45 wards in Kisii County and is planning to recruit 30,000 grassroots officials in Kisii and another 17,000 in Nyamira.
The latest incidents are not the first signs of rivalry between the two parties at joint political events. Friction has been building as both sides jostle for visibility, influence and dominance under the broad-based government.
With the August 2027 elections drawing closer, the contest is increasingly shifting to the grassroots, where leaders are clashing over party identity, political control and the terms of any future power-sharing arrangement.
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UDA has intensified efforts to establish a foothold in regions traditionally dominated by ODM, including the Coast and Nyanza.
ODM leaders view these efforts as an attempt to penetrate their established political strongholds and have advocated for political zoning to protect their support bases. UDA, on the other hand, wants the freedom to field candidates in all elective positions, except the presidency.
The fault lines were also evident during public rallies in Luo Nyanza on November 8, 2026, when local UDA officials in Homa Bay County criticised ODM for demanding a formal memorandum of understanding and specific power-sharing guarantees.
UDA leaders argued that ODM should instead concentrate on supporting President Ruto unconditionally rather than attaching demands to its backing.
When contacted for comment on allegations that ODM supporters were suppressing UDA supporters in Kisii, UDA National Treasurer Japheth Nyakundi, a resident of Kisii County, did not respond.
The Nation had earlier reported on infighting among Gusii leaders allied to the broad-based government, which reportedly led to the postponement of President Ruto’s tour of the region by two weeks.
