Ugenya MP Ochieng declares interest to take on Ruto
By dennis-lumiti, June 19, 2024
Ugenya MP David Ochieng has publicly declared his interest in the Presidency come 2027.
He said he would be among those seeking to dethrone President William Ruto in the next elections to “end the political dominance of the Kalenjin and Kikuyu communities”.
The MP said he would vie for the top seat through his Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG) party.
“I am serving as the MP for Ugenya and I am not interested in seeking Senate or governorship of Siaya or any other county in Kenya. My ultimate goal is State House,” he told grassroots officials and supporters of his party from Kakamega county during a meeting at local hotel on Monday.
Ochieng said he was lobbying fellow leaders from all the communities in the country to support his bid for the Presidency.
He said Kenyans should not be brainwashed by the alleged bad blood between President Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua as they were confusing the electorate to extent their hold onto power for the next 15 years.
“President Ruto and his deputy are just playing around with our minds and emotions the way he and Uhuru Kenyatta did. The President wants Rigathi to succeed him in 2032. We should be clever and not allow such dominance by two communities to continue,” he added.
The legislator said he had mastered the art of winning elections against all odds and cited his two victories in Ugenya against the ODM wave. He urged members of the Luhya community to be vigilant as they would be short-changed again in 2027 and 2032.
“You have the numbers, the brains and everything. But your biggest problem lies in disunity. You never cast your ballots in one basket and, thus, allow others to occupy State House. Do you think Ruto wants Musalia Mudavadi or Moses Wetang’ula to succeed him?” he posed amid cheers.
Ochieng said it would be “a fatal political blow” for the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Speaker of the National Assembly if they accept to fold their respective political parties in favour of UDA. He said he had embarked on a campaign to market his party in the Western region and other parts of the country ahead of 2027.