Live update: Senators discuss governors snubbing summons
President William Ruto shares a light moment with Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba during UDA's National Governing Council meeting at State House, Nairobi on January 26, 2026.
The ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) is raking in millions of shillings in form of fees from aspirants for various seats in the 2027 elections who wish to attend a State House meeting next week.
The party has created ‘UDA Aspirants Forum’ and asked those seeking to run on the party ticket to register ahead of the meeting with President William Ruto on February 4 2026.
More than 7,000 aspirants have since applied by Wednesday, according to UDA National Elections Board Chairman Anthony Mwaura.
Although 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 2027 contest, the forum is set to hand the party some quick money from thousands of politicians seeking to run on its ticket.
The forum is part of Dr Ruto’s grassroots re-election machinery as he begins to put together alternative foot soldiers for re-election campaigns should some of the UDA’s current elected leaders decamp to other formations.
UDA strategists further indicate that the response in the ongoing registration would also inform the party’s decisions to cede certain areas in a possible zoning agreement with its 2027 coalition partners.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has since demanded for zoning in a pronouncement that has been opposed by some members of both ODM and UDA over Orange party’s history of bungled primaries.
Data shared by Mr Mwaura on Tuesday showed that UDA had collected close to Sh17 million, with the party projecting the numbers to shoot significantly within the remaining days.
President William Ruto shares a light moment with Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba during UDA's National Governing Council meeting at State House, Nairobi on January 26, 2026.
A notice issued by Mr Mwaura on January 21 indicate that those seeking to run for Member of County Assembly (MCA) positions are required to pay Sh2,000 as registration fee to attend the meeting, while aspirants for Member of National Assembly, Woman Representative and Senator are required to pay Sh5,000 to attend the meeting.
Those seeking to run for governor are required to pay Sh10,000 while those angling to challenge President Ruto for the party ticket have been asked to pay Sh100,000.
“UDA hereby invites all qualified and interested party members who wish to contest for various elective seats in the 2027 General Election to register as members of the UDA Aspirants’ Forum.”
“The forum will deliberate and implement the mechanisms to conduct free, fair and transparent nominations of UDA candidates in the forthcoming general elections.”
Mr Mwaura told the Daily Nation that by Tuesday morning, a total of 4,200 had applied to run for MCA positions. This translates to Sh8.4 million in fees.
President William Ruto, his deputy Prof Kindiki Kithure and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi arrive for the UDA National Governing Council meeting at State House, Nairobi on January 26, 2026.
Another 158 aspirants have applied to run for Senator, Woman Representative (182) and Members of National Assembly (1100). This translates to Sh7.2 million. Those aspiring to be governors had by yesterday hit 99, handing the party another Sh990,000.
During the party’s National Governing Council (NGC) meeting at State House, some of the party members demanded that those seeking to run on the party ticket to officially join now instead of awaiting to gauge the country’s political wave.
“Just for avoidance of doubt, we want to be sure. Supposing somebody does not show up, does not register, and then they emerge towards next year… and probably these are very strong candidates. Are we going to open a window for these aspirants to register or our word here is final that they register before February 4?” posed Teso South MP Mary Emase.
In his response, the President said the party will not close the window yet but said it would only work with those who have identified with the party early enough.
He said there are some politicians who joined UDA barely some days to party nominations and proceeded to win the ticket and subsequently the seats before becoming party rebels.
President William Ruto (centre), Deputy President Prof Kindiki Kithure (left), UDA Chairperson Cecily Mbarire (second right) and Secretary General Hassan Omar (right) during the UDA National Governing Council meeting at State House, Nairobi on January 26, 2026.
“We are not closing the forum now, but we want to make sure that those who are willing to be part of this movement, we are giving them a window to come and work with us towards 2027. Everyone who wants to be an aspirant should come now. Let's build the party together,” the Head of State said.
"I am going to meet aspirants next week (February 4) because I don't want people to show up at this party at the end. They have not contributed anything to the party, and then they come and say they want a ticket," President Ruto said.
He said his intention is to build a strong grassroots network ahead of the next elections.
The party seeks to elect a total of 20 officials at every polling centre spread across the country. According to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), there are a total of 27,397 registration centres in the country.
Cumulatively, the party is looking at having about 540,000 grassroots officials, a number it says is crucial in providing strong grassroots networks.
UDA grassroots elections
According to the party’s Grassroots Election Guide, polling centre voters will elect representatives for religious groups (three), traders (four), professionals (three), youth (four), special interest groups (one), farmers (three), and a man and a woman representative.
“A political party is not the NEC (National Executive Committee) or the NGC, it is the grassroots network. The polling station is where the party is made or unmade. We have a total of 540,000 positions for officials at the grassroots.”
“The reason why Kanu succeeded for many years is because people were elected at the grassroots. The reason why ODM today is where it is, is because they carry out the elections in the polling centres,” said Dr Ruto.
President William Ruto during the UDA National Governing Council meeting at State House, Nairobi on January 26, 2026.
The party has since instructed its elections board to repeat grassroots election in nearly 80 per cent of the polling centres. In the recently conducted polls in 20 counties of Mt Kenya, Rift Valley and Western, the party spend Sh120 million, according to the President. He said the party is willing to spend more in the repeat exercise.
“We carried out elections the other day, and many of the senior leaders, including MPs, MCAs did not even bother to participate. We have instructed the National Elections Board that any polling centre where less than 50 people voted, we do a repeat.”
“Those grassroots officials are the people who are going to decide for the party going forward.”
The Daily Nation established that President sought to meet UDA elected leaders and aspirants separately before the party can hold the repeat elections in a strategy designed to make them own the grassroots networks.
The repeat is also meant to forestall any possible fallouts. Party elections have, in the past, turned divisive and chaotic, resulting in major fallouts, a scenario that has made many outfits in the country avoid holding party elections.
UDA started its ambitious grassroots elections in April 2024, but was forced to abandon the polls following the June nationwide Gen Z protests after concluding the exercise in only two counties of Busia and Homa Bay out of the initial five that were scheduled in the first phase.
