Political activist Morara Kebaso has downplayed the recent massive crowds drawn by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, arguing that large turnouts at political rallies should not be mistaken for votes.

Speaking during a morning show on Monday, July 27, 2026, the Borabu parliamentary hopeful cautioned Kenyans against using crowd sizes as a measure of a politician’s electoral strength.

“Just want to advise you as Kenyans. Crowds are not votes. There are people attending the crowd because they didn’t have a place to go.”

According to Morara, people attend political rallies for different reasons, many of which have nothing to do with supporting the politician addressing them.

He argued that some people attend because they have nothing else to do, others are looking for entertainment, while some simply follow crowds out of curiosity.

He also noted that some attend rallies to create content for social media, while others take advantage of the gatherings to engage in criminal activities such as pickpocketing.

Morara further observed that many people could have turned up at Sifuna’s rallies simply because they had never seen the Nairobi senator in person and wanted to catch a glimpse of him after only seeing him on television.

He maintained that crowds should not be interpreted as votes, pointing out that several politicians have previously attracted huge crowds that later failed to translate into electoral success.

Past huge rallies

The political activist cited former Chief Justice David Maraga, Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i as examples of leaders who at one point drew impressive crowds but whose political momentum later declined.

According to Morara, Matiang’i’s return from the United States attracted even larger crowds than those recently witnessed during Sifuna’s homecoming in Western Kenya, claiming that the turnout was so overwhelming that there was barely any space left at the venue and the public address system could not adequately reach the audience.

He also noted that President William Ruto continues to attract crowds at his rallies, whether hired or organic, while former late Prime Minister Raila Odinga also consistently drew large gatherings during his campaigns but never succeeded in winning the presidency.

Sifuna’s political hype

Morara argued that what Sifuna is currently experiencing is political hype, which he believes could eventually fade. He likened modern politics among young people to a hit song, saying that public excitement often rises quickly before dying down as attention shifts elsewhere.

“So first, what we need to understand is that when the hype dies down, because what we have with Sifuna is hype, and one thing I’ve come to notice about the young people in these countries is that they treat politics like a hit song.”