Kenya’s presidential race for 2027 is fast gaining pace and top contenders are setting their sights on a crucial constituency abroad that typically has negligible voter registration numbers but has huge influence: Kenyans living in the diaspora.
Of great interest are Kenyans living in the United States where impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua arrived this week weeks after former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i held various activities. People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua is also in the US.
Mr Gachagua is currently on a month-long trip of the US where he is expected to visit Dallas, California, Seattle, Boston, and Baltimore, hold town hall meetings while also attending social gatherings to promote his agenda for the diaspora community.
On Friday, Mr Gachagua and Ms Karua told Kenyans in the United States that the opposition was collecting “evidence” that could later be sent to the International Criminal Court for crimes being committed against Kenyans, with over 100 killed in the recent protests—and even more during the two-and-a-half years Dr Ruto has been in office.
In 2024, Kenyans living and working in America constituted the largest diaspora population and were the primary source of remittances into Kenya.
The US is home to the largest number of Kenyan migrants, estimated at 157,000, followed by the UK.
This community not only maintains deep ties with their homeland but also contributes significantly to the Kenyan economy.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on July 9,2025, when he left the country for a trip to United States of America.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
According to the Central Bank of Kenya, diaspora remittances—primarily from the US stood at more than Sh650 billion in 2023, making it the country’s single largest source of foreign exchange. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has said Kenya plans to increase diaspora remittance to Sh1 trillion by 2027.
Mr Mudavadi, who is also the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, says that in 2023, Kenyans working abroad sent home Sh671 billion which was bigger than the traditional foreign income earners of tea and coffee combined signalling the new cash cow for the country.
“Currently, Kenyans in foreign countries are increasing in number through our government’s intervention and bilateral agreements,” said Mr Mudavadi.
Presidential aspirants are now keen to tap into this economic clout to fundraise, influence voters’ opinion at home and abroad, and build international credibility.
Dr Matiang’i, who exited government after the 2022 polls and later worked for the World Bank in Washington DC, has recently resurfaced through engagements with Kenyan professionals in the US cities as he prepares to run for President in 2027.
He flew back to Nairobi two weeks ago but has more activities lined up in the US. A familiar pattern is emerging among presidential hopefuls’ frequent forays into the United States, where a growing diaspora community is now seen as a vital cog in electoral strategy.
Mr Gachagua is the latest to join the bandwagon. His current US trip will mark his first such foreign mission since his ouster in October 2024 and is viewed as a strategic move to rebrand himself on the international stage and energise his base ahead of 2027.
But his US visit is hardly unique. In the 2022 elections, then-presidential candidates William Ruto and Raila Odinga crisscrossed the US and UK, appearing at institutions such as Chatham House and holding town hall meetings with Kenyans abroad.
Dr Ruto even appointed Ababu Namwamba to head his campaign’s international relations docket—an unprecedented move at the time. After taking office, he created a department for Diaspora Affairs.
Analysts say this trend is more than just political tourism, but a calculated, multi-pronged strategy that blends resource mobilisation, soft diplomacy, image-building, and influence-peddling.
“Kenyans abroad might have some money to spare, and others have influence in the countries they live in,” explains Prof Macharia Munene of United States International University (USIU). “They also believe that acceptance in the US might translate to money and votes.”
Indeed, diaspora remittances have made Kenyans in the US an attractive target for politicians seeking campaign funds. Unlike local donors, who may be constrained by political loyalties or fear of state reprisal, diaspora supporters often contribute freely.
“Every local political action today requires not only domestic support but also the mobilisation of a coalition that includes diaspora networks,” says political analyst Martin Oloo. “They bring in not just money, but legitimacy, human capital, and international support.”
The US delegation led by Senator Chris Coons when they met Azimio la Umoja One Kenya leader Raila Odinga and his team in Nairobi on August 18, 2022.
Photo credit: US Embassy Nairobi
Multimedia University lecturer, Prof Gitile Naituli, concurs, noting that modern presidential campaigns have evolved into hybrid operations, combining grassroots engagement with global diplomacy.
“Kenya’s presidential aspirants are not just chasing the diaspora vote. They’re seeking symbolic legitimacy. A well-publicised US tour signals that a candidate is global, respectable, and ready to lead,” says Prof Naituli.
Such visits also enable aspirants to engage in serious policy discourse in ways that are often impossible in charged political rallies.
“In politics, you need a place where you can articulate what you believe in,” says Jubilee Party Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni. “They want to sit before an organised crowd in a town hall setting, field questions, and lay out their ideology. That’s very different from shouting over crowds at rallies.”
Beyond political showmanship, there’s a strategic communications element at play. A candidate seen engaging US-based Kenyans and think tanks can subtly signal their acceptability to foreign powers —an important consideration in a country where global perception can shape post-election legitimacy and donor confidence.
“It’s a clever way of saying to Washington or London, ‘I am available, I am reasonable, and I am ready,’” says Prof Naituli. “This can influence everything from diplomatic ties to international financing.”
But there’s also a psychological layer to this diaspora focus. Many Kenyans living abroad wield immense sway over their families back home—not just through remittances but also as opinion leaders.
“These people have a sway locally. They influence decisions at home and they also offer a unique way to help mitigate campaign costs,” says Mr Kioni.
For Gachagua, his tour is also an opportunity to relaunch his political image after months of turbulence within the Kenya Kwanza alliance. Now leading the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), he is betting on the diaspora to amplify his message and possibly bankroll his early campaign activities.
As 2027 draws nearer, political observers expect more aspirants to make similar visits abroad. From symbolic gestures to serious fundraising, the Kenyan diaspora — especially in the US has become a vital battlefield in the contest for State House.
Dr Matiang’i’s re-entry into the public arena via the American stage is widely viewed as a calculated move to test political waters while courting a constituency with both resources and reach.
“Yes we will support him both emotionally and financially,” said Mr Vincent Tong’i, one of the former Cabinet secretary’s US supporter.
Deputy President William Ruto and Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi address Kenyans in the diaspora at Mt Calvary Church Lanham, Maryland in the United States on March 5, 2022.
Photo credit: DPPS
Dr Ombati Mokua, another of Dr Matiang’i’s supporters in the US, says the presidential hopeful is expected to visit several other states, including North Carolina, Washington State (Seattle), Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV area).
Prof Reuben Marwanga told Nation from the US that they will “fully support Dr Matiang’i’s bid: “We believe Dr Matiang’i has the will and the capacity to turn the country around and put it on growth trajectory,”
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) party National Chairperson Nyambega Gisesa said the Kenyans abroad want change and “they are ready and willing to push that change through Dr Matiang’i.”
President Ruto has, since taking over in 2022, met Kenyans in diaspora in most of the countries he has visited, encouraging them to invest at home and selling them his programmes. Mr Odinga, too, has long cultivated ties with Kenyans abroad.
As a presidential contender, his US visits have often blended diaspora town halls with think-tank appearances at institutions such as the Brookings Institution and the Council on Foreign Relations.
These events allowed him to package himself as a reformist statesman committed to democracy and good governance — messages that resonate with diaspora voters who view themselves as change agents.
Beyond fundraising and messaging, diaspora votes are also a growing political consideration.
Although voting rights for Kenyans abroad remain limited—restricted to select countries and only in presidential elections—there is mounting pressure to expand this access. Some of those living abroad also travel back home to vote. Official registration numbers for those planning to vote abroad in 2022 were just 10,000 but analysts note that the influence goes way beyond these figures.
Politicians courting diaspora support are betting on eventual reforms that will give this bloc real electoral power. For a close contest in 2027, the diaspora vote could become the tie-breaker.
Moreover, US-based Kenyans exert soft power by influencing opinion back home through digital platforms and remittance-driven economic leverage.
Many of them support extended families, fund community projects, and even bankroll political campaigns in their rural counties.
Candidates know that winning over a few well-connected diaspora leaders could translate into support across entire constituencies in Kenya.
Engagements with the diaspora also serve a diplomatic purpose. US visits allow presidential hopefuls to interact with global policymakers, foreign investors, and lobby groups.
In Washington, Nairobi’s next leader must be seen as a reliable partner in regional security, democracy, and economic development.
As Kenya’s political elite recalibrate their 2027 strategies, it is evident that Kenyans in America are no longer passive observers.
Whether as donors, digital influencers, policy advisers, or future voters, they have become key players in shaping the country’s political destiny.
