BUSIA, Kenya – Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has warned opposition leaders against assuming that political rallies and slogans will translate into victory in the 2027 presidential election, saying President William Ruto’s record and nationwide reach will give him an advantage at the ballot.
Speaking in Butula Constituency, Busia County, during a meeting with UDA grassroots members, Mudavadi said presidential contests are won through policies, a clear agenda and a demonstrable record rather than political mobilisation alone.
“People are busy dancing on top of podiums and engaging in sloganeering, thinking that this translates to winning the presidency. It takes more; it calls for well-crafted policies, a clear agenda, and a demonstrable track record to convince voters to elect you,” Mudavadi said.
He took aim at opposition leaders touring Western Kenya, arguing that repeated political rallies across counties should not be mistaken for evidence of electoral support.
“The team that is busy moving from one county to another—today they are seen dancing in Busia, tomorrow they are busy in Kakamega, the following day you meet them in Trans Nzoia, then Vihiga and Bungoma—thinking they have won the presidency, I want to tell them they are only practising to keep fit,” he said.
Mudavadi maintained that Ruto’s re-election prospects would be strengthened by what he described as the administration’s development record, policies and national reach.
He also accused sections of the opposition of using ethnic rhetoric and propaganda to undermine the government, urging voters to assess competing political platforms and their proposed policies.
Mudavadi invokes 2022 numbers
The Prime Cabinet Secretary pointed to the narrow margin separating Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s preferred successor Raila Odinga in the 2022 presidential election as evidence of the potential strength of the current UDA-ODM broad-based arrangement.
Ruto was declared the winner with 7,176,141 votes, representing 50.49 per cent, while Odinga received 6,942,930 votes, or 48.85 per cent, according to the official results.
Mudavadi argued that combining the political support bases associated with the two camps could significantly alter the 2027 electoral equation.
“Take Ruto’s 7,176,141 (50.49 per cent) votes and Odinga’s 6,942,930 votes (48.85 per cent), then look at the current broad-based arrangement. Even if you take away 3 million votes from that total and give the numbers to the opposition, will this change anything?” he posed.
He declared the UDA-ODM partnership the administration’s “winning formula” for 2027 and said President Ruto would chair a joint broad-based leadership meeting in Naivasha on Monday.
According to Mudavadi, the meeting will bring together leaders from the Executive, Parliament and county governments to discuss a common roadmap, including the harmonisation of policy priorities.
“We are convening as Broad-Based leadership, both in the executive and in the two houses of parliament. Our Governors will also be part of this crucial meeting to be chaired by President Ruto,” he said.
Article 138 and the 2027 contest
Mudavadi also reminded his audience of the constitutional threshold for winning the presidency.
Article 138 of the Constitution requires a presidential candidate to receive more than half of all votes cast and at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in more than half of Kenya’s 47 counties.
“That is 24 counties out of the 47 counties,” Mudavadi said, using the constitutional threshold to underscore the importance of a nationwide electoral coalition.
He said the broad-based arrangement would help the administration build support across regions rather than rely solely on traditional political strongholds.
Mudavadi further urged young people in Busia to register as voters and participate in the 2027 election, while calling for what he termed a “petition-free” victory for Ruto.
“When we talk of a two-term, let us also emphasise a petition-free win for President Ruto. Raundi hii ni two term bila petition, two term bila petition,” he said.
Development projects as campaign message
Mudavadi also defended the government’s development record, citing additional teacher recruitment, affordable housing, health-sector programmes, roads and markets.
He challenged opponents who have pledged to reverse some government policies to explain what alternative programmes they would implement.
“When you say you will reverse the policies that have led to the employment of an additional more than 76,000 teachers, the progress within the affordable housing programme, the gains in the health sector, the construction of roads and markets among other gains, what is your agenda for the future of this country?” he asked.
He also highlighted infrastructure projects that he said would benefit Western Kenya, including the planned expansion of the Rironi-Mau Summit road towards Malaba and the proposed extension of the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha through Narok and Kisumu towards the Uganda border.
Mudavadi argued that improved road and rail connectivity would reduce travel times, strengthen trade and improve access to the port of Mombasa for farmers and traders in Western Kenya.
“Uganda is our biggest trading partner within the East African Region,” he said, stressing the importance of improving cross-border trade.
The remarks come as political parties and alliances begin positioning themselves for the 2027 General Election, with the broad-based government increasingly emerging as a central feature of the country’s political realignment.
