Homa Bay Town Member of Parliament Peter Kaluma has urged President William Ruto to start taking the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the Nyanza region more seriously following the outcome of the Ol Kalou by-election, where the president’s preferred candidate suffered a defeat.

Speaking during an interview with a local media station on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the MP praised the outcome of the Ol Kalou by-election, saying that as a broad-based government ally, he was pleased with the mini-poll results.

According to him, this would give them greater bargaining power than Mt. Kenya when negotiating a power-sharing deal ahead of the 2027 General Election.

“Those are some of the things I think came out of it. So, to me, Ol Kalou, as I said, is a very good thing. Coming from the ODM side of the broad-based government, it confirms a lot. Yes, it confirms many things, and with the president preparing to seek re-election, he now has to take us more seriously,” Kaluma said.

His remarks come ahead of the structured negotiations between the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which had previously been suspended to allow the latter to strengthen its party structures, particularly in its traditional strongholds.

Kaluma dismisses Ruto’s support in Mt Kenya

Kaluma further argued that the outcome of the Ol Kalou by-election is a clear indication that the Mt Kenya region is unlikely to support President Ruto’s bid for a second term in the 2027 general election.

The outspoken Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) lawmaker advised the head of state to completely put Mt Kenya aside in his political calculations, especially after the outcome of the Ol Kalou by-election.

“Mt Kenya will not vote for William Ruto in 2027; that I am sure he should remove mt kenya from his calculations; the highest he can get is 15 per cent.”

Kaluma argued that he has consistently given the same advice within the broad-based government, saying President Ruto is unlikely to secure even 15 per cent of the Mt Kenya vote in 2027 and should instead concentrate his efforts on other regions rather than relying on Mt Kenya.

Nabwera’s suggestion

On the other side, Lugari Member of Parliament Nabil Nabwera has outlined what President William Ruto should do to compensate for the political ground he has lost in the Mt Kenya region despite enjoying overwhelming support there during the 2022 General Election.

Speaking during an interview with K24 TV on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, Nabwera said the president’s best strategy is to strengthen his support in other regions of the country, particularly Western Kenya and Nyanza.

“The president has to consolidate ODM strongholds. He has to consolidate the coast, and he’s doing very well at the coast, by the way. He has to consolidate Nyanza. He’s doing very well in Luo Nyanza. He has to work in Kisii, Nyanza. He has to consolidate the West and also work on the North Eastern region, which is doing pretty well, before consolidating the Rift Valley,” Nabwera said.