Ruto to deploy ruthless machinery to retain seats in mini-elections
By Print Reporter, August 9, 2025With the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) scheduled to set the date for 26 by-elections next week, President William Ruto is planning to deploy massive state machinery to enable him to retain some of the seats that were left vacant either by death or appointment of the former sitting members into the Cabinet.
Dr Ruto is said to have gone to the extent of striking a deal with Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga that would see the former’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Party not field candidates in each other’s strongholds.
Sources aware of the ongoing plans revealed that Ruto—who is keen on retaining the seats—is planning to use Deputy President Kindiki Kithure as his point man in the campaigns to ensure that his plans go through, as the by-election will have a direct impact on his 2027 re-election bid.
The by-elections come at a politically sensitive time, as Ruto seeks to reassert control over the Mt Kenya region and neutralise the fallout from his fallout with his former Deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, once his key political ally and right-hand man in the vote-rich region.
Gachagua’s fallout with the Ruto government and his growing criticism of State House have sent shockwaves through the Kenya Kwanza coalition, prompting Ruto to recalibrate his political strategy.
Post-Gachagua
According to insiders, Dr Ruto views the by-elections as a litmus test for his new post-Gachagua political blueprint.
A sweep for UDA would demonstrate that the president’s support is intact, particularly in areas where Gachagua once enjoyed influence.
Conversely, any significant loss could embolden dissenters and fuel a possible anti-Ruto coalition ahead of 2027, analysts say.
“This is not just about filling vacant seats. It’s about proving that the centre is holding, and that the UDA remains the dominant political force,” says South Mugirango MP Sylvanus Osoro, who is also the Kenya Kwanza Chief Whip in the National Assembly.
Osoro says they have finalised a strategy to ensure that they sweep all the seats and make the so-called loud-mouthed opposition lose face.
“This is the president’s war to win,” one UDA strategist told PD Wikendi. “He is ready to use every tool — political, economic, and psychological — to show the country that he is firmly in control.”
According to Kenya Kwanza insiders, Ruto, who is considering a number of options which he wants implemented, is waiting for the official announcement from IEBC on the exact dates the by-elections will be conducted before he unveils his strategies.
On Wednesday, IEBC chairman Erastus Ekethon disclosed that the agency will next week announce the dates for the eagerly awaited elections.
“For the by-elections, we will announce the date and time in a week’s time. We should finalise the by-elections by the end of this year,” Ethekon disclosed.
Of interest to him, the sources said, is the Mbeere North seat that was left vacant after Geoffrey Ruku, who was appointed as the Public Service Cabinet Secretary, replaced the then Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi, who was relieved of his duties following his demands that the government come out clean on extra-judicial cases involving murders, enforced disappearances, and abduction of Kenyans.
This seat, it is understood, is important as it would prove whether he still commands popularity in the mountain, especially after severing links with ousted DP Gachagua, whose party, the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), is also planning to front candidates in the election.
Apart from Ruku, IEBC has announced that there are 23 pending by-elections, encompassing six National Assembly seats, one Senate seat, and 16 Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) positions.
Among the notable former Members of Parliament whose seats are now vacant are the former Baringo Senator William Cheptumo, who died in February this year, and former Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi, who was appointed to the Cabinet.
Others are former Kasipul MP Ong’ondo Were, who was shot dead; the former Banisa MP Hassan Maalim, who died in a road accident on March 29, 2023; and the former Malava MP Malulu Injendi, who died on February 17, 2025, after an illness.
“Soon, you will see everything. The president is keen on winning these by-elections. It is a do-or-die for him, and therefore he is willing to go to any extent to ensure that this goes as planned,” a highly placed Kenya Kwanza source told the PD Wikendi.
In Malava, Ruti is said to have entrusted his key man, Farouk Kibet and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to deliver the seat to him.
Kibet has pitched tents in Malava, where he has been meeting women and youth through the so-called empowerment programmes as well as presiding over several fund drives.
Rival parties
The sources, who did not want to be named, said that part of the strategy Ruto intends to deploy would include ensuring that all candidates seeking election under the Kenya Kwanza party contest use one ticket. Rival parties under the Kenya Kwanza stable would be prohibited from sponsoring parallel candidates.
Should this not work, the source said that the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has been tasked with ensuring that party primaries are held, and only the person who emerges as the winner will be issued with the certificate to face off against candidates from other parties.
To actualise this, Ruto—already in the presence of Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire and Ruku—has met with all eight candidates interested in the Mbeere North seat, who agreed to move into party nominations to get one candidate.
Nine candidates have expressed interest in vying for the seat under the UDA ticket once IEBC chairperson Erustus Ekithon announces the dates for the by-election.
And apart from ensuring that candidates back one person, Ruto, it is understood, is also considering not fielding candidates in the strongholds of ODM, in the hope that the party will also not field candidates in constituencies in his strongholds.
But yesterday, one of ODM’s deputy party leaders, nominated senator Godffrey Osotsi, said their Central Management Committee meeting last week had agreed to shelve discussions on the by-elections until after IEBC sets the dates.
“At the moment, I cannot deny or confirm the purported deal. Our party’s Central Management Committee shall, however, convene a meeting to discuss and take a common stand on the issues once IEBC sets the dates,” Osotsi said.
Although ODM has said it will field candidates in all the constituencies and wards, its major interest is getting back Wandayi and Were’s seats, as they were originally theirs.
ODM, said the source, has indicated it may consider not fielding candidates in the areas where they are likely to clash with Kenya Kwanza, as Raila is part of the broad-based government.
In addition, the party has also asked UDA not to field candidates in their strongholds.
To actualise this, Kindiki has been tasked with ensuring that he engages all candidates and parties to ensure they all speak with one voice—especially after Gachagua, who has declared himself as the kingpin of the mountain, vowed to clinch the seat.
Apart from Gachagua, Muturi has also announced that his Democratic Party (DP) would field Newton Kariuki—known as Newton Karish—as its candidate for the Mbeere seat after he was endorsed as the DP flag bearer, while the Jubilee Party, headed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, has also said it will be sponsoring candidates in the said positions.
The move comes days after, on Monday, DCP unveiled its candidates for several upcoming by-elections, expressing confidence in a decisive win once the IEBC announces the election date.
Speaking at the DCP Party Headquarters during the candidate unveiling, Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malala affirmed that the party will field candidates for all 22 by-elections.
He also noted that their aspirants are already actively engaging with constituents and hitting the ground running.
Malala emphasised that the party will conduct transparent nominations in areas with multiple aspirants to select the best candidates.
He also assured supporters that these nominations will be free and fair, urging constituents from the affected areas to support DCP candidates wholeheartedly.
Not for sale
Regarding rumours surrounding the Banisa constituency by-election, Malala clarified that the government is allegedly attempting to compromise DCP candidates but assured that their candidates are not for sale.
He dismissed the speculation that Aden Mohammed, also known as Kiongozi, had withdrawn from the race, describing such claims as fake news.
The candidate for Banisa also publicly denied any withdrawal from the race, reaffirming their commitment to contest in the upcoming by-election, relating to promotions.
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