Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has once again found herself at the centre of political attention after taking a helicopter ride with President William Ruto during his development tour of Siaya County on Tuesday.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) national chairperson was captured on video disembarking from the Kenya Air Force helicopter alongside President Ruto after the two flew together between venues.
Political commentators say her use of the presidential helicopter was a striking signal of her growing influence within national politics.
In Kenya, access to presidential aviation assets is tightly regulated. When senior officials, advisers or prominent political figures are permitted to use such resources, analysts often interpret it as a visible marker of proximity to power and influence within the Executive.
Political analyst Walter Opiyo says presidential helicopters are highly restricted and generally reserved for the Head of State and his security team.
The same principle, he said, applies to presidential vehicles, which are assigned security teams.
During his July 2015 visit to Kenya, US President Barack Obama gave his half-sister, Dr Auma Obama, a ride in the heavily armoured presidential limousine known as “The Beast”. The moment sparked public discussion and nostalgia.
Similarly, Ms Wanga’s presence aboard a Kenya Air Force helicopter with President Ruto has raised curiosity.
“The presidential helicopter is not a matatu. Whoever boards it must be familiar with the presidential protocol and must be trusted. When Wanga flies with the President, it tells you she is now in the inner circle of the broad-based government,” he said.
“Those minutes in the air are more important than hours on the podium. That is where real political conversations happen,” he said.
'Political and strategic'
Another analyst, Michael Kojo, said the governor’s move was both political and strategic.
“As ODM chairperson, she has to demonstrate that the party’s cooperation with the government is working. Flying with the President and both of them putting on ODM caps is political messaging that the partnership is cordial,” he said.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga takes a helicopter ride with President William Ruto during his development tour of Siaya County on Tuesday.
Photo credit: Pool
As governor, Ms Wanga has the capacity to charter her own helicopter and has done so before. However, she has on several occasions chosen to fly with Dr Ruto when the President is in the Nyanza region.
Mr Kojo said the ODM official was also seeking to demonstrate her political influence and position herself for a possible future role in national leadership.
During a prayer service at Voice of Salvation and Healing Church in Kisumu on Sunday, the governor was seated on the left side of the President, after her Kisumu counterpart Anyang’ Ny’ong’o.
Ms Wanga has in recent months been fronted by her supporters for the Deputy President position, having stated that ODM will accept nothing less than the seat in any future power arrangement.
Even so, she eyes re-election as Homa Bay Governor.
President William Ruto and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga in Siaya County on Tuesday.
Photo credit: Pool
Earlier this year, she was filmed rushing to board the helicopter, nicknamed “Kenya Marine One” by online commentators, alongside Suna East MP Junet Mohamed.
Analysts said the repeated appearances pointed to Ms Wanga’s growing role in the political engagement between the opposition and the presidency.
“She is being positioned as the bridge between ODM and UDA. The chopper ride, the matching caps, the Siaya tour - all of it is choreographed to show unity ahead of 2027,” Mr Kojo added.
President William Ruto, Kisumu Governor Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko share a light moment during a meeting with grassroots leaders from Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay and Migori counties in Kisumu City on September 13, 2026.
Photo credit: PCS
During the Siaya tour, rival party branding was visible at rallies, with some attendees wearing UDA colours, others in ODM orange and a few in MDG caps.
The two leaders were seen wearing similar orange ODM-branded caps when they disembarked from the helicopter.
Earlier in the morning, the President had worn a black cap bearing the Kenyan flag before switching to orange.
Some social media users questioned the change in the comments section of photos the President shared on Facebook.
In August 2024, during President Ruto’s tour of Rusinga Island in Homa Bay County, Governor Gladys Wanga climbed through the sunroof of the President’s official vehicle to address the crowd, an unusual moment that reportedly drew the ire of then Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Governor Wanga had been addressing the gathering when members of the public urged her to stand on a raised platform so they could see her clearly.
President Ruto then invited her into his official vehicle and asked her to address the crowd through the sunroof. The gesture, however, did not go down well with his then deputy, who was part of the presidential entourage.
Mr Gachagua was reportedly unsettled by the growing closeness between the President and the ODM chairperson, with the incident becoming one of the early public signs of the tensions that would later define the political relationship between the two leaders.
Mr Gachagua subsequently spoke about the incident, saying he had seen Governor Wanga get into a vehicle used by the President and address a gathering through the sunroof.
At the time, Mr Gachagua had begun openly voicing concerns over what he described as ODM’s encroachment into government, following President Ruto’s decision to bring senior ODM figures into his administration.
The episode would later be viewed against the backdrop of the widening rift between President Ruto and Mr Gachagua, who was impeached in October 2024.
Since then, Governor Wanga has grown increasingly close to the President and has on several occasions been seen accompanying him during his tours of Nyanza. The latest example was the recent Siaya tour, where the two were seen wearing ODM-branded caps, underscoring the evolving political relationship between the President and the ODM leadership.
Another sideshow during President Ruto’s development tour of Siaya County was Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo perched on top of a car while waving at the crowd.
Ordinarily, as a state officer, his role would involve coordinating security and government operations from the office, with regular visits to different locations. While out of the office, he would typically step out of his car or helicopter and proceed directly to his assignment.
But on Tuesday, the powerful PS was in the thick of the political spectacle.
In a video shared online, Dr Omollo is seen seated on top of a black Toyota Land Cruiser normally used by presidential security, acknowledging cheers from residents who had gathered along the road.
Dr Omollo is considered one of the most influential PSs in the Kenya Kwanza administration and has played an increasingly visible political role during presidential tours in Nyanza.
“As Interior PS, he is the face of the government in the region. Sitting on top of the car is a show of confidence and connection. He is telling the crowd, ‘I am one of you, I am not hidden in Nairobi,’” he said.
