Confusion has gripped a section of constituencies ahead of the November 27 by-elections, as political leaders and State officials appear to be campaigning across party lines, blurring traditional political loyalties and sparking friction within their ranks.
What was initially intended as a show of unity under President William Ruto’s broad-based government framework — an arrangement that brought together the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) — has instead exposed the uneasy co-existence between former political rivals.
President William Ruto and the opposition leader, the late Raila Odinga, sign an agreement between UDA and ODM in the presence of their party members.
Photo credit: Pool
The by-elections scheduled for constituencies, including Kasipul, Ugunja, Malava, Mbeere North, Banisa, and Magarini, as well as several wards across the country, have become the first major test of this fragile coalition.
The elections were triggered by a mix of deaths, resignations, and election nullifications that created vacancies in the National Assembly and county assemblies.
While senior officials insist the ODM-UDA cooperation pact is grounded in the spirit of national unity and inclusivity, the unfolding campaigns have laid bare the deep-seated mistrust and overlapping loyalties among politicians navigating the new political order.
ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna has taken issue with the Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki and a section of UDA figures for openly campaigning for ODM candidates under the guise of supporting “broad-based” contenders.
“There is no party called broad-based,” Mr Sifuna said. “UDA should stop pretending to campaign for broad-based candidates. They are either ODM, UDA, or DAP-K, and such confusion must stop.”
Mr Sifuna’s remarks reflect growing disquiet within ODM ranks, where many see the inter-party campaigning as a calculated strategy by the ruling alliance to penetrate opposition strongholds under the pretext of unity.
The broad-based framework — part of the post-handshake arrangement between President Ruto and the late Raila Odinga — has allowed the two sides to share government positions and agree on joint political initiatives.
But on the ground, the message appears inconsistent. In some regions, ODM and UDA leaders are campaigning together; in others, they are backing rival candidates, often crossing party lines in ways that bewilder voters.
ODM candidate for Kasipul parliamentary seat Boyd Were, ODM deputy party leaders Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir, Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna and Migori Senator Eddie Oketch walk out of IEBC office in Kosele where the party candidate was cleared for the November 27 by-election.
Photo credit: George Odiwuor | Nation Media Group
Nowhere is this confusion more pronounced than in Malava Constituency in Kakamega County, where alliances have twisted into unlikely shapes.
Deputy Party Leader of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) Ayub Savula has openly defied his party to campaign for the UDA candidate, David Ndakwa, insisting that Malava must remain aligned with the government.
“I am the deputy party leader of DAP-K, but I have been campaigning for David Ndakwa of UDA because our people must be in government. There is no room for being in the opposition because Malava has never been out of government,” Mr Savula told the Nation on Wednesday.
His statement, which he also repeated at a rally in Malava town, reflects the pragmatic political calculations that often define Western Kenya’s politics — where proximity to the ruling coalition is viewed as key to accessing development.
Ironically, Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale (UDA), a one-time fierce defender of President Ruto, is campaigning for DAP-K’s Seth Panyako, the secretary-general of the Kenya National Union of Nurses and a former UDA ally who fell out with the ruling party leadership.
Dr Khalwale’s decision to back Mr Panyako — his longtime political rival — has added a twist to an already convoluted race, with residents unsure whether party lines still matter.
Former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, who was seconded to the Cabinet by ODM under the broad-based government structure, has also endorsed Mr Panyako, saying his experience and advocacy for workers make him the right candidate.
“Malava needs a leader who understands its people and has fought for their rights. Seth Panyako has proven his leadership in the labour movement,” Mr Oparanya said during one of his campaign stopovers in the constituency.
The overlapping loyalties in Malava summarise the contradictions of Kenya’s evolving political landscape — one where alliances are shifting faster than the electorate can track them.
Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki has defended the inter-party campaigns between his UDA party and ODM, currently steered by Siaya Senator Dr Oburu Oginga, saying they are anchored in the unity agreement signed by President Ruto and the late Raila Odinga earlier this year.
“We have all agreed to work together and support all our broad-based candidates in the coming by-elections,” Prof Kindiki told a rally in Kasipul constituency recently.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki addressing residents of Kasipul during a women’s economic empowerment programme on October 31,2025.
Photo credit: DPCS
“The agreement signed by President Ruto and the late Odinga allows us to support candidates from either ODM or UDA as part of our broader goal of promoting national cohesion.”
Prof Kindiki’s message has been echoed by government officials who argue that Kenya’s post-handshake political environment demands inclusivity rather than rigid partisanship.
But critics argue that the policy is vague, leaving local politicians to interpret it in self-serving ways. The result, they say, is a political free-for-all that risks undermining party discipline and confusing voters.
In Kasipul and Ugunja constituencies — traditional ODM strongholds in Nyanza — the cooperation agreement is being tested.
ODM officials are confident of retaining the seats, but Mr Sifuna, the ODM party spokesperson, has expressed discomfort with UDA’s visible presence in their campaign activities while pushing for broad-based candidates.
UDA operatives, however, argue that the cooperation pact means shared responsibility in all elections.
“The broad-based government is not about ODM zones or UDA zones. It’s about one Kenya,” a UDA legislator quipped.
In the Magarini constituency by-election, ODM and UDA grassroots teams have been holding joint rallies to support Harrison Kombe, who is flying the ODM flag.
Mr Kombe’s candidacy has received the blessings of both parties as a symbol of the newfound political partnership between the ruling coalition and ODM.
UDA’s local leadership has instructed its members to back Mr Kombe, saying his victory will strengthen the national unity pact.
ODM leader Oburu Oginga (centre), Chairperson Gladys Wanga (left) and Deputy Party leader Abdulswamad Nassir (right) campaign for their party candidate in the November 27 Magarini by-election Harrison Kombe, on November 2, 2025.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation Media Group
“This is what President Ruto and Baba wanted — unity in action,” said Kilifi North MP Owen Baya during a joint ODM-UDA rally in Gongoni.
The sight of yellow and orange flags flying side by side has, however, puzzled residents who are used to intense rivalry between the two parties.
In Mbeere North (Embu County) and Banisa (Mandera County), the cooperation pact seems to be holding more smoothly. Local ODM and UDA officials have jointly endorsed agreed-upon candidates, avoiding open conflict.
In Banisa, where security concerns have often overshadowed politics, leaders from both sides have campaigned jointly to promote peaceful elections.
Political analysts say the confusion surrounding the by-elections is indicative of a deeper identity crisis within Kenya’s political system.
The broad-based government model, though built on noble intentions of unity, has eroded clear party distinctions and accountability structures.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki (third right) Public Service CS Geoffrey Ruku (second right) and Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire during the unveiling of Leonard Muriuki Muthende (second left), the UDA candidate in the upcoming Mbeere North by-election.
Photo credit: DPCS
Prof Macharia Munene, a political historian, observes that “Kenya’s experiment with a broad-based administration is a double-edged sword. While it promotes peace and cooperation, it also dilutes party ideology and leaves voters disoriented about what each party stands for.”
What was once a stark contest between the government and the opposition has now morphed into a hybrid system of shared governance, where allies and adversaries often switch sides at will.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who is also the party leader of Democracy for Citizens Party’s (DCP) had expressed his disappointment with what he termed as “intimidation of DCP,” candidate for the Banisa parliamentary seat.
From Left Mr Ahmed Maalim Hassan (UDA) aspirant in Banisa, President William Ruto, Mr Adan Mohamed Kiongozi (formerly of DCP) and Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif at the State House on September 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Manase Otsialo | Nation Media Group
“We had a very strong candidate in Banisa who was going to be the next member of parliament. William Ruto summoned him, threatened him, and forced him to withdraw from the race,” he stated, further lifting the lid on the by-election campaign confusion.
Prof Kindiki confirmed that ODM candidates in Kasipul, Ugunja, and Magarini enjoy the full support of the broad-based coalition.
The same support extends to UDA aspirants in Malava, Banisa, Mbeere North, and Baringo senatorial race.
ODM National chairperson Gladys Wanga said: “We have agreed as a broad-based team to have broad-based candidates in Malava, Banisa, Mbeere North, and Baringo. We have also agreed to have broad-based candidates under ODM in Kasipul, Ugunja, and Magarini, and we will continue to walk together.”
The United Opposition steered by Mr Gachagua and Wiper Patriotic Front Leader Kalonzo Musyoka is also backing joint candidates in various constituencies and wards with an aim of locking out pro-government candidates.
In Malava, DCP candidate Collins Busiega withdrew in favour of Mr Panyako. The Gachagua-led party also withdrew from the Mbeere North race in favour of Justin Muturi’s Democratic Party candidate.
